Compare your description with that given by J. Bordogna. Agree or disagree.
Make a list of the innovations you know.
While working a qualified engineer deals with technological innovations.
E.g. perform-performer
enable-
construct-
innovate-
make-
manufacture-
handle-
invent
translate-
write-
3.6 Discuss in pairs and give a definition for a word innovation.
-nanotechnology
-
-
-
3.8 Work in groups. Discuss what qualities should a 21st century engineer possess to use new technologies.
“21st century engineers will need to be astute makers, trusted innovators, enterprise enablers, technology stewards, and knowledge handlers.”
(Joseph Bordogna, U.S.National Science Foundation)
3.10 Read the summary of his article and fill in the gaps with the words:
Defines, technical and scientific skills, hundreds of processors, consists of, be able to reduce, human-made devices, store the equivalent of, trying to mix
What does a 21st century engineer need to know? Let’s consider some of the new capabilities that are shaping the future of engineering- terascale, nanoscale, complexity, cognition and holism. Science and technology are transforming forces, that’s why these emerging fields will expand our capabilities as engineers and innovators.
In the past our system architectures could handle….... Now we are working with systems of 10000 processors. On current systems the simulation of a millisecond requires 2 months. With new terascale systems1 we may ……this time.
Nanostructures2 combine the smallest of……. and the large molecules of living systems. This technology lets manipulate a molecule at a time. It could lead to U.S. Library of Congress in a device we could wear.
If we look at science and engineering, complexity can be met in many disciplines and in the most unexpected places. Researchers are……. polymers and silicon, because plastics are chaotic chains3 while silicon……… orderly crystals. The resulting electronic device would have marvelous flexibility and be less expensive
The dictionary……. cognition as “the mental process or facility by which knowledge is acquired”. It is the knowledge, methods, tools that lead us to cognitive revolution which can reduce the influence of the information revolution.
According to the dictionary holism is “the concept that entity4 is greater than the sum of its parts». Modern engineer should be able to see connections of seemingly different components and integrate them.
Taken together this means that the 21st century engineer will need more than….. He will need to embrace complex systems and the issues they present.