The Effectiveness of an Engineer - Term Paper Example

The Engineer’s Role Introduction Engineering is a broad field where the application of scientific principles and knowledge are transformed into a usable means to support human survival. It is used to ease up the burden of the society’s needs. Engineers’ groups around the world recognised this crucial role they play in the society. The Institution of Engineers, Australia clearly mentioned the principles in the preamble of the Code of Ethics 2000, which defined Engineering as a “creative process of synthesising and implementing the knowledge and experience of humanity to enhance the welfare, health and safety of all members of the community, with due regard to the environment in which they live and the sustainability of the resources employed” (IAE 2000) The Engineers comprise one of the most valuable human capitals in every organisation or the country as a whole. Simply put, they are among the drivers of the nation’s economic machinery. There are many studies that support the claims that technological innovation is a key to wealth creation and economic growth. The U.S. Council of Economic Advisors (1995) cited in Bordogna (1997) indicated that, over the past 50 years, technological innovation has accounted for over one-third of U.S. economic growth. The effectiveness of an engineer is dictated by the skills acquired through formal education and degree, which normally takes five years in the Baccalaureate level and additional years for postgraduate levels. The exposure to the actual field where the application of knowledge is exercised is what polishes and makes an engineer more effective. The Engineer’s skill requirement in specific fields Several basic and applied skills are required in an engineer. The magnitude of the usefulness of these essential skills, however, depends on the nature of his work. Bordogna (1997) enumerated the basic skill requirement of an engineer, which we expound here. In general sense, the engineer is viewed to be capable of developing design, in order to meet safety, reliability, environmental, cost, operational, and maintenance objectives and realize products. Designing capability utilizes basic science and mathematics principles. The Agricultural Engineer is expected to design agricultural machineries for production, pre-harvest, and post harvest operations, and employ the efficient use of biological resources (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, c. 2008) The engineer is also expected to create, operate, and sustain complex systems. Being an engineer requires a person to be familiar about how a simple or complex system that uses engineering principles within his area of specialization. Going back to the earlier example, an Agricultural Engineer, understands how a threshing or milling machine operates without seeing the mechanisms inside. Major problems can be easily diagnosed if one is familiar on how a system operates. In addition, the Engineer must understand the physical constructs and the economic, industrial, social, political, and international context within which engineering is practiced. The responsibility of the Agricultural Engineer along the areas mentioned must be properly understood so that in the process of applying the knowledge greater benefits will be derived and the moral and ethical standard are preserved. Furthermore, the Engineer should participate in the process of research; and gain the intellectual skills needed for lifelong learning (Bordogna, 1997). The nature of Engineering works contributory to economic development These engineering capabilities are transformed into economic use through several means. Engineers Australia (2008) published a website specifying several roles of the engineers. There are varying roles identified by other sources. Among those crucial ones derived from US Bureau of Labor Statistics (c. 2008) are product or technology development, system maintenance and supervision, and valuation (Vittal 2002) Engineers use their knowledge and experience to develop economical solutions to technical problems for daily use or for processing and production purposes. Their outputs and scientific discoveries are then transformed into commercial applications that are based on consumer needs. In the process of product or technology development, engineers consider several factors. For example, in developing post-harvest machinery, engineers precisely specify the functional requirements; design and test the machines components; integrate the components to produce the final design; and evaluate the design’s overall effectiveness, cost, reliability, and safety. This process applies to the development of many different products, such as chemicals, computers, power plants, helicopters, and toys. In addition to design and development, many engineers work in testing, production, or maintenance. These engineers supervise production in factories, determine the causes of component failure, and test manufactured products to maintain quality. They also estimate the time and cost to complete projects. Supervisory engineers are responsible for major components or entire projects (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, c. 2008) Another aspect of the Engineering application is on valuation. Vittal (2002) emphasized that valuation, which means putting worth on something whether fixed capital, machineries, or technology, is important for both fiscal and non-fiscal purposes and it plays a vital part in every economic activity. This is one of the areas where Professional Engineers from the fields of agriculture to the most complex nuclear science is critically needed. Cost of the outputs and products depend on how engineers value the technology, the intellectual property and other inputs in the production line. The engineer however must exercise his knowledge with ethical considerations just like any profession. IEA (2000) clearly emphasized that an Engineer must place their responsibility for the welfare, health and safety of the community above their own interest. The values of integrity and honesty are highly considered for every member in dealing with clients, employers, the general public, and their colleagues. They have the moral and ethical obligation to develop themselves further for the benefit of the entire society they serve. Conclusion The field of engineering, like any other professions, evolved with the evolution of society. But it has the greater influence on how way of life change through time. The development of technologies within all areas likes transportation, communication, food trends, medicine, and others are a product of engineering development. The face of the every human activities involved engineering principles. Because of this, there is the need for an engineer in every bit of human activity. References Bordogna, J. (1997). Making Connections: The Role of Engineers and Engineering Education. The Bridge[online] 27(1) Available from [14 March 2008] Engineers Australia (2008). The Role of Engineers Australia [online] Available from [14 March 2008} Institution of Engineers, Australia (200). Code of Ethics 2000. US Bureau of Labor Statistics (c. 2008). Engineers [online] available from [14 March 2008] Vittal, N (2002). Role of Engineers in the National Economy [online] talk delivered on 20 May 2002 at Institution of Valuers, Chennai available from [14 March 2008] Read More