Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that applies the physical

sciences (e.g., chemistryand physics) and/or life sciences (e.g., biology, microbiology and biochemistry)
together withmathematics and economics to processes that convert raw materials or chemicals into more
useful or valuable forms. In addition, modern chemical engineers are also concerned with pioneering
valuable materials and related techniques which are often essential to related fields such
asnanotechnology, fuel cells and biomedical engineering.
[1]
Within chemical engineering, two broad
subgroups include 1) design, manufacture, and operation of plants and machinery in industrial chemical
and related processes ("chemical process engineers"); and 2) development of new or adapted
substances for products ranging from foods and beverages to cosmetics to cleaners to pharmaceutical
ingredients, among many other products ("chemical product engineers").
Contents
[hide]
1 Etymology
2 History
o 2.1 New concepts and innovations
o 2.2 Lag and environmental awareness
o 2.3 Recent progress
3 Concepts
o 3.1 Chemical reaction engineering
o 3.2 Plant design
o 3.3 Process design
o 3.4 Transport phenomena
4 Applications and practice
5 Related fields and topics
6 See also
7 References
8 Bibliography
[edit]Etymology


George E. Davis
A 1996 British Journal for the History of Science article cites James F. Donnelly for mentioning a 1839
reference to chemical engineering in relation to the production of sulfuric acid.
[2]
In the same paper
however, George E. Davis, anEnglish consultant, was credited for having coined the term.
[3]
The History
of Science in United States: An Encyclopedia puts this at around 1890.
[4]
"Chemical engineering",
describing the use of mechanical equipment in the chemical industry, became common vocabulary
in England after 1850.
[5]
By 1910, the profession, "chemical engineer", was already in common use in
Britain and the United States.
[6]

[edit]History
Main article: History of chemical engineering
Chemical engineering emerged upon the development of unit operations, a fundamental concept of the
discipline chemical engineering. Most authors agree that Davis invented unit operations if not
substantially developed it.
[7]
He gave a series of lectures on unit operations at the Manchester Technical
School (University of Manchester today) in 1887, considered to be one of the earliest such about
chemical engineering.
[8]
Three years before Davis' lectures,Henry Edward Armstrong taught a degree
course in chemical engineering at the City and Guilds of London Institute. Armstrong's course "failed
simply because its graduates ... were not especially attractive to employers." Employers of the time would
have rather hired chemists andmechanical engineers.
[4]
Courses in chemical engineering offered
by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States, Owen's
College in Manchester, England and University College London suffered under similar circumstances.
[9]



Students inside an industrial chemistry laboratory at MIT
Starting from 1888,
[10]
Lewis M. Norton taught at MIT the first chemical engineering course in the United
States. Norton's course was contemporaneous and essentially similar with Armstrong's course. Both
courses, however, simply merged chemistry and engineering subjects. "Its practitioners had difficulty
convincing engineers that they were engineers and chemists that they were not simply chemists."
[4]
Unit
operations was introduced into the course by William Hultz Walker in 1905.
[11]
By the early 1920s, unit
operations became an important aspect of chemical engineering at MIT and other US universities, as well
as at Imperial College London.
[12]
The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), established in
1908, played a key role in making chemical engineering considered an independent science, and unit
operations central to chemical engineering. For instance, it defined chemical engineering to be a "science
of itself, the basis of which is ... unit operations" in a 1922 report; and with which principle, it had
published a list of academic institutions which offered "satisfactory" chemical engineering
courses.
[13]
Meanwhile, promoting chemical engineering as a distinct science in Britain lead to the
establishment of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) in 1922.
[14]
IChemE likewise helped
make unit operations considered essential to the discipline.
[15]

[edit]New concepts and innovations
By the 1940s, it became clear that unit operations alone was insufficient in developing chemical reactors.
While the predominance of unit operations in chemical engineering courses in Britain and the United
States continued until the 1960s, transport phenomena started to experience greater focus.
[16]
Along with
other novel concepts, such process systems engineering (PSE), a "second paradigm" was
defined.
[17][18]
Transport phenomena gave an analytical approach to chemical engineering
[19]
while PSE
focused on its synthetic elements, such as control system andprocess design.
[20]
Developments in
chemical engineering before and after World War II were mainly incited by the petrochemical
industry,
[21]
however, advances in other fields were made as well. Advancements in biochemical
engineering in the 1940s, for example, found application in thepharmaceutical industry, and allowed for
the mass production of various antibiotics, including penicillin and streptomycin.
[22]
Meanwhile, progress
in polymer science in the 1950s paved way for the "age of plastics".
[23]

[edit]Lag and environmental awareness
The years after the 1950s are viewed
[by whom?]
to have lacked major chemical innovations.
[24]
Additional
uncertainty was presented by declining prices of energy and raw materials between 1950 and 1973.
Concerns regarding the safety and environmental impact of large-scale chemical manufacturing facilities
were also raised during this period. Silent Spring, published in 1962, alerted its readers to the harmful
effects of DDT, a potent insecticide
[citation needed]
. The 1974 Flixborough disaster in the United Kingdom
resulted in 28 deaths, as well as damage to a chemical plant and three nearby villages
[citation needed]
. The
1984 Bhopal disaster in India resulted in almost 4,000 deaths
[citation needed]
. These incidents, along
with other incidents, affected the reputation of the trade as industrial safety and environmental
protection were given more focus.
[25]
In response, the IChemE required safety to be part of every degree
course that it accredited after 1982. By the 1970s, legislation and monitoring agencies were instituted in
various countries, such as France, Germany, and the United States.
[26]

[edit]Recent progress
Advancements in computer science found applications designing and managing plants, simplifying
calculations and drawings that previously had to be done manually. The completion of the Human
Genome Project is also seen as a major development, not only advancing chemical engineering
but genetic engineering and genomics as well.
[27]
Chemical engineering principles were used to
produce DNA sequences in large quantities.
[28]
While the application of chemical engineering principles to
these fields only began in the 1990s, Rice University researchers see this as a trend
towards biotechnology.
[29]

[edit]Concepts
Part of a series on
Chemical Engineering
History of
Chemical Engineering
General Concepts
Chemical industry

Chemical engineer
Chemical process

Unit operations
Chemical kinetics

Transport phenomena
Unit processes
Chemical plant

Chemical reactor
Separation processes
Areas
Heat transfer

Mass transfer
Fluid mechanics

Process design
Chemical thermodynamics
Chemical reaction engineering
Process control systems
Other
Outline of chemical engineering
Index of chemical engineering articles
Category: Chemical engineering
V

T

E
Chemical engineering involves the application of several principles. Key concepts are presented below.
[edit]Chemical reaction engineering
Main article: Chemical reaction engineering
Chemical reactions engineering involves managing plant processes and conditions to ensure optimal
plant operation. Chemical reaction engineers construct models for reactor analysis and design using
laboratory data and physical parameters, such as chemical thermodynamics, to solve problems and
predict reactor performance.
[30]

[edit]Plant design
Chemical engineering design concerns the creation of plans and specification, and income projection of
plants. Chemical engineers generate designs according to the clients needs. Design is limited by a
number of factors, including funding, government regulations and safety standards. These constraints
dictate a plant's choice of process, materials and equipment.
[31]

[edit]Process design
Main article: Process design
A unit operation is a physical step in an individual chemical engineering process. Unit operations (such
as crystallization, drying and evaporation) are used to prepare reactants, purifying and separating its
products, recycling unspent reactants, and controlling energy transfer in reactors.
[32]
On the other hand, a
unit process is the chemical equivalent of a unit operation. Along with unit operations, unit processes
constitute a process operation. Unit processes (such as nitration and oxidation) involve the conversion of
material by biochemical, thermochemical and other means. Chemical engineers responsible for these are
called process engineers.
[33]

[edit]Transport phenomena
Main article: Transport phenomena
Transport phenomena occur frequently in industrial problems. These include fluid dynamics, heat
transfer and mass transfer, which mainly concernmomentum transfer, energy transfer and transport
of chemical species respectively. Basic equations for describing the three transport phenomena in
the macroscopic, microscopic and molecular levels are very similar. Thus, understanding transport
phenomena requires thorough understanding of mathematics.
[34]

[edit]Applications and practice


Chemical engineers use computers to manage automated systems in plants.
[35]

Chemical engineers "develop economic ways of using materials and energy"
[36]
as opposed to chemists
who are more interested in the basic composition of materials and synthesizing products from such
[citation
needed]
. Chemical engineers use chemistry and engineering to turn raw materials into usable products,
such as medicine, petrochemicals and plastics. They are also involved in waste managementand
research. Both applied and research facets make extensive use of computers.
[35]


Operators in a chemical plant using an older analog control board, seen in Germany, 1986.
A chemical engineer may be involved in industry or university research where they are tasked in
designing and performing experiments to create new and better ways of production, controlling pollution,
conserving resources and making these processes safer. They may be involved in designing and
constructing plants as a project engineer. In this field, the chemical engineer uses their knowledge in
selecting plant equipment and the optimum method of production to minimize costs and increase
profitability. After its construction, they may help in upgrading its equipment. They may also be involved in
its daily operations.
[37]

[edit]Related fields and topics
Today, the field of chemical engineering is a diverse one, covering areas
from biotechnology andnanotechnology to mineral processing.
Biochemical engineering
Bioinformatics
Heat transfer
Industrial gas
Process design
Process development
Biomedical engineering
Biomolecular engineering
Biotechnology
Ceramics
Chemical process modeling
Chemical Technologist
Chemical reactor
Chemical weapons
Cheminformatics
Computational fluid dynamics
Corrosion engineering
Cost estimation
Electrochemistry
Environmental engineering
Earthquake engineering
Fluid dynamics
Food engineering
Fuel cell
Industrial catalysts
Mass transfer
Materials science
Metallurgy
Microfluidics
Mineral processing
Nanotechnology
Natural environment
Natural gas processing
Nuclear reprocessing
Oil exploration
Oil refinery
Pharmaceutical engineering
Plastics engineering
Polymers
Process control
Process Systems Engineering
Process miniaturization
Paper engineering
Safety engineering
Semiconductor device fabrication
Separation processes (see also: separation of mixture)
Crystallization processes
Distillation processes
Membrane processes
Textile engineering
Thermodynamics
Transport phenomena
Unit operations
Water technology

Chemical engineer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Chemical engineers design, construct and operate plants
Part of a series on
Chemical Engineering
History of
Chemical Engineering
General Concepts
Chemical industry

Chemical engineer
Chemical process

Unit operations
Chemical kinetics

Transport phenomena
Unit processes
Chemical plant

Chemical reactor
Separation processes
Areas
Heat transfer

Mass transfer
Fluid mechanics

Process design
Chemical thermodynamics
Chemical reaction engineering
Process control systems
Other
Outline of chemical engineering
Index of chemical engineering articles
Category: Chemical engineering
V

T

E
In the field of engineering, a chemical engineer is the profession in which one works principally in thechemical
industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of products, and deals with the design and operation of
plants and equipment to perform such work.
[1]
In general, a chemical engineer is one who applies and uses
principles of chemical engineering in any of its various practical applications; these often include 1) design,
manufacture, and operation of plants and machinery in industrial chemical and related processes ("chemical
process engineers"); 2) development of new or adapted substances for products ranging from foods and
beverages to cosmetics to cleaners to pharmaceutical ingredients, among many other products ("chemical
product engineers"); and 3) development of new technologies such as fuel cells,hydrogen
power and nanotechnology, as well as working in fields wholly or partially derived from Chemical Engineering
such as materials science, polymer engineering, and biomedical engineering.
Contents
[hide]
1 History
2 Overview
3 Employment and Salaries
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
[edit]History
The term appeared in print in 1839, though from the context it suggests a person with mechanical
engineering knowledge working in the chemical industry.
[2]
In 1880, George E. Davis wrote in a letter to
Chemical News 'A Chemical Engineer is a person who possesses chemical and mechanical knowledge, and
who applies that knowledge to the utilisation, on a manufacturing scale, of chemical action.' He proposed the
name Society of Chemical Engineers, for what was in fact constituted as theSociety of Chemical Industry. At
the first General Meeting of the Society in 1882, some 15 of the 300 members described themselves as
chemical engineers, but the Society's formation of a Chemical Engineering Group in 1918 attracted about 400
members.
[3]

In 1905 a publication called The Chemical Engineer was founded in the USA, and in 1908 the American
Institute of Chemical Engineers was established.
[4]

In 1924 the Institution of Chemical Engineers adopted the following definition 'A chemical engineer is a
professional man experienced in the design, construction and operation of plant and works in which matter
undergoes a change of state and composition.'
[5]
(The first female member joined in 1942.)
[6]

As can be seen from the later definition, the occupation is not limited to the chemical industry, but more
generally the process industries, or other situations in which complex physical and/or chemical processes are
to be managed.
In 1951 the President of the Institution of Chemical Engineers said in his Presidential Address "I believe most
of us would be willing to regard Edward Charles Howard (1774-1816) as the first chemical engineer of any
eminence".
[7]
Others have suggested Johann Rudolf Glauber (16041670) for his development of processes for
the manufacture of the major industrial acids.
[8]

[edit]Overview
Historically, the chemical engineer has been primarily concerned with process engineering. The modern
discipline of chemical engineering, however, encompasses much more than just process engineering.
Chemical engineers are now engaged in the development and production of a diverse range of products, as
well as in commodity and specialty chemicals. These products include high performance materials needed
foraerospace, automotive, biomedical, electronic, environmental and military applications. Examples include
ultra-strong fibers, fabrics, adhesivesand composites for vehicles, bio-compatible materials for implants and
prosthetics, gels for medical applications, pharmaceuticals, and films with special dielectric, optical
or spectroscopic properties for opto-electronic devices. Additionally, chemical engineering is often intertwined
with biologyand biomedical engineering. Many chemical engineers work on biological projects such as
understanding biopolymers (proteins) and mapping the human genome.
[edit]Employment and Salaries
In the United States of America, the Department of Labor estimated in 2008 the number of chemical engineers
to be 31,000. According to a 2011 salary survey by the American Institution of Chemical Engineers (AIChE),
the median annual salary for a chemical engineer was approximately $110,000.
[9]
In one salary survey,
chemical engineering was found to be highest-paying degree for first employment of college
graduates.
[10]
Chemical engineering has been successively ranked in the Top 2 places in the Most Lucrative
Degrees Survey by CNN Money in theUnited States of America.
[11][12][13]
In the UK, the Institution of Chemical
Engineers 2006 Salary Survey reported an average salary of approximately 53,000, with a starting salary for a
graduate averaging 24,000.
[14]
Chemical engineering is a male-dominated field: as of 2009, only 17.1% of
professional chemical engineers are women.
[15]
However, that trend is expected to shift as the number of
female students in the field continues to increase.
[16]

[edit]See also

Engineering portal
American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
Distillation
Fluid dynamics
Heat transfer
History of chemical engineering
Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE)
List of chemical engineering societies
List of chemical engineers
Mass transfer
Process control
Process design (chemical engineering)
Process engineering
Process miniaturization
Unit operations
Chemfluence
WikiProject: Chemical and Bio Engineering
[edit]References
1. ^ Licker, Mark, D. (2003). Dictionary of Engineering", McGraw-Hill, 2nd Ed.
2. ^ Ure, Andrew (1839) A Dictionary of Arts Manufactures and Mines, London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green &
Longman, page 1220
3. ^ Colin Duvall and Sean F, Johnston (2000) Scaling Up: The Institution of Chemical Engineers and the Rise of a
New Profession Kluwer Academic Publishers
4. ^ John C. Olsen (December 1932), Chemical Engineering As A Profession: Origin and Early Growth of the
American Institute of Chemical Engineers
5. ^ Transactions of the Institution of Chemical Engineers volume 2 page 23 (1924)
6. ^ Colin Duvall and Sean F, Johnston (2000)Scaling Up: The Institution of Chemical Engineers and the Rise of a
New Profession Kluwer Academic Publishers
7. ^ Transactions of the IChemE (1951) Volume 29 page 163
8. ^ Herman Skolnik in W. F. Furter (ed) (1982) A Century of Chemical Engineering ISBN 0-306-40895-3 page 230
9. ^ U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics: Chemical Engineers
10. ^ Chemical Engineering Ranked Highest Paying Degree, Department of Chemical Engineering, Princeton
University, February 15, 2006
11. ^ [1], 2009
12. ^ [2], 2006
13. ^ [3], 2007
14. ^ Institution of Chemical Engineers Annual Review 2006
15. ^ "Chemical Engineer Careers: Employment & Salary Trends for Aspiring Chemical Engineers".
CollegeDegreeReport.com.
16. ^ http://www.intstudy.com/articles/sl275a43.htm
[edit]External links
American Institute of Chemical Engineers (USA)
Institution of Chemical Engineers (UK)
Canadian Society for Chemical Engineers
Engineers Australia (AUS)
[hide]
V

T

E
Chemical Engineering Topics


History
History of chemical engineering



Concepts
Unit operations

Unit processes

Chemical engineer

Chemical process


Unit operations
Momentum transfer

Heat transfer

Mass transfer

Mechanical operations


Unit process
Chemical reaction engineering

Chemical kinetics

Chemical process modeling


Branches
Process design

Fluid mechanics

Chemical plant Design

Chemical thermodynamics

Transport phenomena
*More*


Others
Outline of chemical engineering

Index of chemical engineering articles

Education for Chemical Engineers
List of chemical engineers

List of chemical engineering societies

List of chemical process simulators


Category

Portal:Engineering



One's philosophy as a student is to simply assimilate knowledge. Under no circumstance shall a
student deviate from a simple and humble life. Respect and devotion for elders, parents and
teachers is a must and irreverence to anyone a taboo. The Chinese, the Japanese and the Indians
have formulated strigent rules for students as part of their pedagogical philosophies. There, students
could get free boarding and lodging till they left. The instant they deviated from the generations-long
customs, they lost all sacred privileges from the society.
If there is anything else that you can do and be happy, do that. If there is nothing else
that you can do and be happy, then come join us. You'll love it. But being a graduate
student is a very difficult way to live.

Consider the decision with great care. Graduate school takes more time, energy and
thought than new grad students ever thought possible. A Ph.D. is a massive
undertaking that exceeds all predictions and estimates concerning the resources you
have and will need.

Reconsider your decision to pursue a Ph.D. The job market in most fields is poorer than
your professors will lead you to believe. You could be making a decent living or
making the world a better place in the years that you'll be scraping out a living doing
arcane research and teaching for a fraction of what professors are paid for the same
work.
Also, in writing your dissertation, prepare to be alone.

You should enter graduate school because you enjoy whatever it is that you are
studying and be fully aware of the difficulty in finding jobs in academia. You should
ask yourself whether you would want a doctoral degree in your field of study even if
you could not get a job directly applicable to what you got your degree in? If you
would not want the degree without the assurance of a job in your field you should
probably not go to grad school.

Be very clear and realistic about your employment opportunities after graduating, both
within and without academia.
Make sure you have a dissertation topic you are willing to pursue each and every day,
because it will consume most of your time for at least 2 years.
Answer the following question honestly: When I have some spare time, do I enjoy
thinking about (fill in discipline and dissertation topic) or is there something I would
rather be doing?
Use three faculty members at three different stages of a full career as models for your
own development: Learn about their backgrounds, assess where they are in their
careers, and how they got there. Then, answer following question: Is this the kind of
career I want for myself?
Attend professional conferences in your area to decide if you can imagine yourself
participating in them for many years.

Be sure to be interested enough in the subject to guarantee that you don't regret time
spent in its pursuit. Employment in the field is not guaranteed, but the pursuit of the
graduate program can be an invigorating experience.
Finding an advisor who is fun to work with can be vital, and there is a world of intellectual
activity in the university outside the confines of one's own department.

Investigate the program thoroughly
19.2% of the philosophy students surveyed offered advice about this topic.

Seek as much information about prospective departments as possible, particularly from
faculty advisors who have a broad knowledge of the field. It is often hard to know
which schools would best suit a student's interests from the more general information
available.

Make sure you know what kind of a political climate exists in your department and to
talk to graduate students in the department about how they feel they are treated by the
faculty in general.

If you are choosing between departments of rather similar ranking, you should choose
based on (1) where you would be happy living and (2) overall atmosphere of
department (the extent that you can determine it). Do not choose based on individual
faculty members and their particular interests, because faculty members move; because
you may discover that you can't get along with them; because they likely won't spend
that much time on you; and because your own interests will change. This advice is
based on my experience in my current and previous programs.

Find out clear information about average length of time it takes to complete the Ph.D.
and find out about prospects for academic employment. Think about whether the
commitment is one you are willing to make.
Inquire about which advisors work closely with students and help them complete their
work in a timely fashion.
Make attempts to meet a range of faculty members (even outside of classes) so that you
will have a clearer picture of opportunities available within your department.

Visit school before hand.

Think about why they want to go to graduate school and what sort of area of
specialization they might be interested in. I think it is really important for a prospective
graduate student to find out as much as they can about the university (in particular the
department) that they are thinking of attending. It is really important that the student
choose a graduate school that is at least capable of meeting her needs. One of the best
ways of finding out this information is by talking with other graduate students in that
program.

Understand the job market
20.5% of the philosophy students surveyed offered advice about this topic.

You must be aware that job placement is both a lottery and an enterprise that requires
careful preparation.

Be aware of the lack of job opportunities on graduation and the real possibility that one
will not be able to find a job after being awarded a Ph.D.

Develop a knowledge- and skills-base that is as broad as possible, since the availability
of employment opportunities (especially in the academy) are uncertain at best.

Do everything you can to get off campus: either to advance your academic career
(present papers, do research elsewhere, teach at other schools, meet colleagues and
publishers elsewhere) or to advance your non-academic career (do internships, explore
alternative career options, etc.). The myth that all grad students can and will find full-
time tenure-track jobs in academia is still alive and well for many, many older faculty
who walked right out of grad school to the academic jobs they still have. It is close to a
fair generalization to say that they will not give you good advice about finding such
jobs (if they exist any more) or pursuing alternatives (which they take to be an
admission of defeat).
Seriously consider dropping out after getting an MA and pursue a line of work less
fraught with risk (personal, professional and financial). It is easier to retrain for a future
career change at the MA then at the Ph.D.

Know the job market for your discipline. Be prepared for little choice when it comes to
location of future job.

Have a healthy careerist attitude from the start (unless you're not planning on getting
an academic job).

Do this only if you love to do it; you'll be lucky if you can find a job in a place out of the
backwaters doing it.

Understand and get funding
11.6% of the philosophy students surveyed offered advice about this topic.

Don't do it without funding.

Make sure your department is clear about their commitment to funding you.

Avoid taking out loans, if possible, since the job situation is terrible.

Select your advisor carefully
12.3% of the philosophy students surveyed offered advice about this topic.

Having an advisor who both encourages and challenges you is the single most
important thing. Like it or not, that's the person who holds the future of your career in
their pen, letters really matter on the market as does having had someone to give you
the kind of advice you need to make your work matter in your field and the discipline
as a whole. The advisor you select should be supportive and involved. If he/she is not,
get a new one.

Do whatever you can to work with supportive faculty who have some clout in your
field. These two qualities may be difficult to find in a single individual, but both
qualities are extremely important both during your studies and when you look for
work.

Get a personable mentor/dissertation director who has a reputation for moving
students through.

Also, find a mentor or advisor you can TRUST and try to work with them from early
on. But don't really hand over or trust them with your scholarly development, make
sure YOU are always in charge of those decisions.

Take time off between undergraduate and PhD
studies
6.2% of the philosophy students surveyed offered advice about this topic.

Take time off between college and graduate school to make sure it is what you want to
do.

Realize that grad school will always be there--do not worry about getting in right after
undergrad.


Sunday, August 13, 2006
Engineering, Change and Identity
In order gain a feel for the philosophical influences acting on the engineering profession I have started receiving daily
news alerts from google. These snippets of current affairs can provide interesting insights into the wider issues that
underpin the industry and inform philosophical debate.

By way of illustration, take today's batch of news items. Two stories rise to the attention of the philosophical enquirer
- The first from the UK, by Douglas Friedl in "Scotland on Sunday" and the second from the USA, by Jim Mackinnon
in "The Beacon Journal".

The scottish news article voiced the views of the local engineering industry, who were lamenting the downgrading of
engineering in Scotland and suggested that engineering has lost its visibility despite the fact that it provides a vital
foundation for the regional economy. In response to this allegation the article quoted the Scottish Enterprise agency
who made the distinction between "advanced" engineering sectors that optimsed cross-cutting opportunities between
industries and "traditional" engineering sectors (energy, construction and aerospace) that did not. The Enterprise
agency considered that the future favoured these advanced engineering sectors over the traditional ones. It may be
surmised therefore that it is not that engineering has lost its visibility or has been downgraded, rather that it is
advancing and changing.

This advancement and change was the focus of the second article in The Beacon Journal. The article considered that
the globalisation of sience and technology has resulted in an acceleration of; change, the development of new
concepts and the application of new approaches. This effect is happening across all industries and disciplines and the
article proposed that the only way to keep up with the pace of change was to create new collaborations, partnerships
and systems for communication. And perhaps one may sympathise with the Scottish industries who are caught up in
this whirlwind of change - for change can be hard to understand and accept and even harder to implement.

When change occurs we often seek to anchor ourselves to the set of core beliefs and values that have defined us
and to which we have a desire to remain attached. In terms of the engineering industry it is the concepts, theories,
skills and abilities that define what it is to be an engineer. In the new world of "advanced engineering" we must
decide which of these are fundamental to enable the concept of "engineering" to live on. I am reminded here of
Descartes search for fundamental truths and an insightful volume I more recently encountered, Viktor Frankl's "Man's
search for meaning".

Engineering is perhaps having an identity crisis, which in itself is nothing new, but perhaps the crises which it
perceives are getting closer to the core of its being. Its problems may be more existential, that is to say relating to its
very meaning of existence. To overcome this semi-neurosis (semi- because we cannot say that engineering as a
whole suffers from this kind of concern) Viktor Frankl would suggest that engineering must recognise that such
problems result from being locked into memories of the past and to move forward engineering must focus on the
future. To put it another way; engineering needs to move away from thinking about what it can do for society to
thinking about what society expects it to do.

This may involve a philosophical paradigm shift or a retrenchment of established philosophical principles. Either way
food for the mind of the philosophical enquirer
posted by Andrew Fox @ 3:31 AM 2 comments
Friday, July 07, 2006
Engineering and Descartes
So how about Rene Descartes? An interesting fellow, 1596-1650 and penned the now famous line Cogito ergo sum
(for you Latin scholars and much corrupted by my sociological friend Have spanner so am engineer, irreverent
but curiously apt). Rene was a man frustrated with the state of things in his profession and dared to think up new
ideas as to how his profession could move forward.

In doing so he applied a rigorously logical approach to his endeavours. Essentially he set out to strip bare the
theoretical framework of his profession until he could find its fundamental source (or truth). His method involved four
steps:

First never accept anything as true that he did not know to be evidently true, that is to say, avoid precipitancy and
prejudice
Second divide each of the difficulties that he examined into as many parts as possible in order to best solve it
Third start by thinking about the simplest and easiest part to solve before moving to the more complex objects
Fourth check everything, taking care to have omitted nothing

A blueprint for engineering method? Are Engineers Descartian disciples? Do Engineers pay sufficient homage to
Descartes?

Perhaps the philosophers out there in cyber space can shed more light on the works of Descartes and how they
relate to the world of philosophy and of course engineering. Should Descartes be regarded an engineering hero,
having contributed deliberately or inadvertently to the development of engineering thought?

Questions, questions!

For those with an interest, Rene Descartes: Discourse on method and the meditations, in the Penguin Classics series
is a very good read (only a slim volume, always the best I find).
posted by Andrew Fox @ 1:55 PM 2 comments
Sunday, June 11, 2006
More Engineering and Theology
Ok no interesting replies to my posting, but I dont want to give up on this topic just yet.

On another forum, some comments suggested it would not be a good idea prescribing ever more stuff for inclusion
in engineering curricula. I agree, and worry that this tendency to over prescribe leaves little time for deep learning
and results in a spoon-feeding approach; and I ask myself is that good for the profession?

I have always seen my engineering career as a journey, a never ending path of learning along which I am driven by
a love for the subject. As such the few years spent as university have long-since become only a small part of what
makes me an engineer.

This may be likened to some form of religious devotion, something spiritual, something beyond the materialist and
utilitarian application of scientific principles to problems. Rather it may be characterised by a desire to understand the
nature of engineering knowledge and how that knowledge can be used for the benefit of mankind the universe and
everything. To some extent, it seems this zeal is missing from new entrants to the engineering profession; it seems
the profession may be losing touch with its soul.

And what can theology teach us? Well theology is very much about nurturing the soul and it serves as a reminder of
what values we should focus on if we are to put the soul back into engineering. I would hazard a guess that a
foundation for life-long learning and dedication is more about soul than about science.

To some extent this is exactly the sort of question that needs to be address by a forum exploring the philosophy of
engineering and so I appeal to readers to consider this topic; for I wonder How important is the soul to the
profession? If it is, how do we nourish it? And if we do, when do we start?
posted by Andrew Fox @ 1:00 PM 2 comments
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Philosophy of Engineering?
I see a few blogs on this subject and I wonder - how frequently do engineers ask themselves why do they do what
they do?

Like all other professions, the body of knowledge that constitutes the sphere of engineering continues to grow. The
education of engineers is thus forced to focus on increasingly specialised areas of knowledge with the threat that the
greater meaning of engineering is lost.

At its heart, engineering is about production. Engineers take materials from the world about them and reshape them
for the betterment of mankind. This requires a conscious effort and the application of logical thought to satisfy a
perceived need.

As a logical process, engineering involves the formulation of concepts, the design of solutions and the creation of
physical manifestations of those solutions. It utilises resources that may be inert, semi automated or even living and it
is driven by an instinct for survival, a need for protection and desire to develop.

Engineering is not free to be applied at will to any perceived need, but must work within cultural constraints and
adhere to the moral and ethical standards of the society in whose service it is employed. Not withstanding such
limitations, its proponents do aspire to achieve the both artful and efficient utilisation of resources and the attainment
of ultimate truth in the solutions derived from their efforts.

In essence, to grasp the greater meaning of engineering requires the development of philosophical concepts such as
a cognitive awareness of life, self, others and the external world. This needs to be blended with a higher
understanding of science, the environment and society. And as servants for society engineers, through their
education, should acquire knowledge of a sense of duty, sentiment and humility.

Engineering is therefore not just about mathematics, design, experimentation and manufacture; it is about
epistemology, ethics and metaphysics. If engineers desire to truly understand themselves, their profession and their
role in society, they need to include in their education the study of philosophy and perhaps by that they may enrich
even this learned field by developing their own philosophy of engineering.
posted by Andrew Fox @ 2:01 PM 0 comments
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Engineering and Theology
So there I was reading an interesting paper titled "Theology and the outcomes-based curriculum: the value of not
knowing" in the 2006 spring edition of the "Discourse" journal when I became struck by the familiarity of the narrative.

The question struck me; could it be that there are parallels between the teaching of theology and the teaching of
engineering? It seemed that there were.

The paper (by Darlene Bird) outlined how theological education in the UK has been impacted by the modern trend in
education to have outcomes that are "useful" for the British economy and that learning for learning's sake was now
regarded as "a bit dodgy". The paper sought to counter this view and proposed an argument in support of an
education not restricted by such narrow, materialist and utilitarian outcomes. Focussing on the teaching of theology in
a higher education setting the author argued that students should be exposed to the uncertainties and unknowns of
this world and that the system should provide the necessary space for open enquiry and discovery. Through such
exposure students will be free to develop more independently.

I felt somewhat swayed by the idea that engineering education may be set free from the shackles of overly prescribed
curricula.

The argument went on to reflect on how this utilitarian shift has been accompanied by the redefining of knowledge as
a commodity which intern has led to the dominance of an "operationalist" ideology in higher education. The jargon
associated with this paradigm focuses on skills, competencies and outcomes and seems devoid of the notions of
wisdom, reflection and self-awareness. Education was perceived as having more to do with "training" than with
"educating" with little room for transformativity; a process whereby not just the student is changed but the acquired
knowledge is transformed in the mind of the student.

This point again struck a chord with me as I remembered the discussions I have had with others on an Engineering
and Philosophy E-Forum relating to the importance of truth, honesty, knowledge and wisdom in the engineering
profession.

It seems that the theological fraternity has been resisting this trend, which the paper described as reductionist and
impoverished and favouring product over process. Education, it was argued, should be transformative, have a
profound impact on a person's life, inducing changes in perspectives and attitudes and foster a lifelong quest for
wisdom, respect for one's own integrity and that of others, self-examination in terms of the beliefs and values adopted
for one's own life and the challenging of prejudices.

Weighty stuff I thought, but not so different from discussions on the E-Forum relating to engineering ethics,
sustainability and the duty engineers have to society


The paper concluded by suggesting that a higher education should challenge beliefs and expose prejudices, it should
open up the space for students to ask questions - questions that have no answer - and it should provide the
opportunity for students to reflect on how they would respond to not having an answer, to not knowing - or
acknowledging that they do not know - which is the beginning of wisdom. True knowledge, the author wrote, does not
lie in the recitation of facts or in the acquisition of skills: true knowledge has to do with understanding - and facing up
to - our human condition.

I felt convinced, challenged and enthused - what direction should the engineering profession be driving towards? A
skills base or a knowledge base? Surely one cannot exist without the other? Should the education system focus on
knowledge and employers provide the skills training? Some philosophical and some practical questions - perfect
Philosophy of Engineering material.
posted by Andrew Fox @ 4:22 AM 3 comments

Philosophy of Education


I believe that education is an individual, unique experience for every student who enters a classroom.
In order for children to benefit from what schools offer, I think that teachers must fully understand the
importance of their job. First, I believe that teachers must consider teaching to be a lifestyle, not a mere
forty-hour-a-week job, because a teacher's goals for his/her students encompass much more than
relaying out-of-context facts to passive students. As professionals entrusted with the education of young
minds, teachers must facilitate learning and growth academically, personally, and ethically. By providing a
quality education to each individual in one's classroom, a teacher equips children with the tools necessary
for success in life.

In order to accomplish these lofty goals, I think it is important first to establish a mutually respectful,
honest rapport with students a relationship in which communication is of the highest priority. Through
this relationship, a fair, democratic environment based on trust and caring can be established in the
classroom, making it possible to interact confidently and safely in an academic setting. Once this
foundation is established, the educator has already accomplished a major goal: the ethical characteristics
of equality; open, honest communication; and trust have been emphasized and put into practice without
having to preach to students. Demonstrating these ethically correct behaviors in the classroom and
expecting students to model them prepares them for adult interaction and survival in the future.

Academic learning must begin with motivation and inspiration. Students deserve an educator's passion
for both the subject at hand and learning as a whole. Teaching and learning become a simultaneous
journey for both the teacher and students when students' energy is aroused by a teacher's genuine
intensity for learning, because everyone is ready and willing to participate in active learning. To achieve
active learning, a teacher must demonstrate enthusiasm and express confidence in the students' abilities
to learn and be successful. Employing constructivist methods of teaching in one's classroom forces
students to take an active role in their education by making choices and assuming responsibility for
intelligent inquiry and discovery. For instance, discussions, projects, and experiments ensure student
achievement and allow students and the teacher to discover individual student's preferences and
strengths. This approach facilitates differentiated activities for each student's distinctive ambitions,
making the subject more relevant to every student's life.

Personal growth is accomplished when a teacher adopts a mentoring role. Displaying warmth and
compassion shows students that teachers love them and are empathic, feeling human beings. One-on-
one mentoring involves personal conversations about goals, and taking time to share ideas and
experiences. To be a mentor to every student, a teacher must project positivity, exhibit flexibility and
confidence, set high expectations for oneself, and demonstrate fairness and consistency. In doing so,
students can see appropriate adult behaviors first-hand and begin to emulate them as they mature.

I believe that all children have the ability to learn and the right to a quality education. All youths,
regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, and capabilities should have the opportunity to learn from
professional, well-informed teachers who are sophisticated and knowledgeable, both in their area of
expertise and life. Certainly, every child has different learning styles and aptitudes; however, by having a
personal relationship with every student, a teacher can give each an equal chance of success. By
recognizing every student's potential and having separate, individual goals for each, a teacher can
accommodate personal needs and abilities and encourage the pursuit of academic aspirations.

I think that teaching and learning are a reciprocal processes. When teachers nurture individual talents
in each child, educators can build self-esteem and may encourage a lifelong skill. By supporting these
special abilities, teachers can, for example, guide students' research, and students can, in turn, enlighten
teachers about subjects in which they may not be as knowledgebale. This mutual respect for individual
skills cultivates a professional academic relationship, leading to a give-and-take educational alliance. This
liaison allows students to feel that they are on equal intellectual ground with their teachers, thus creating
a strong academic atmosphere.

In addition to having a reciprocal relationship with one's students, it is vitally important for teachers to
form partnerships with fellow educators. Solid communication among teachers will promote the sharing
of ideas and methods and provide a network of support. By working as an educational team, teachers will
continue to develop their craft and give the best education possible to their students.

In choosing to become a teacher, I have made the commitment to myself and my future students to
be the best academic, personal, and ethical role model I can be. It is my goal to have a mutually
enriching teaching career by keeping an open mind and continually communicating with my peers and
students. I am prepared to rise to the challenges of teaching in the 21st century, and I promise to try to
provide an honest, well-rounded education to every student I encounter.


My Educational Philosophy
The American public has entrusted the education and development of its children to teachers,
and I take this trust seriously. Regardless of cultural or ethnic background or economic status, the
American people want the schools to teach academic content. Everyone has the right to an excellent
education, and as an educator, I will help students attain that education. The role of a teacher in
students' lives is a significant one, and my beliefs are fundamental in creating my educational
philosophy. Great teachers are the cornerstone of an excellent education, and I have great respect
for every individual I teach.
My educational philosophy is composed of six fundamental components. First, my
educational philosophy is based upon the concept that we as educators, regardless of subject
specialization, are teachers of life. Life is full of challenges, and we should learn from those
challenges. Learning is a life-long process. Our most important duty is to prepare our students to
develop the necessary skills that will lead them to a productive and successful adulthood. I constantly
challenge my students to reach new heights and to continually challenge themselves.
Second, my view of knowledge directly impacts my method of teaching. I view knowledge as
problem-solving skills so students will be empowered to understand conceptually and to influence
their environment. I challenge students to develop their intelligence and talents as fully as possible. I
teach them to recognize their individual learning styles, to take responsibility for their own education,
and to teach themselves and others. Because I feel so deeply in acquiring knowledge, I believe that it
is important to share my enthusiasm for learning with my students. Hopefully, in return they will
begin to value learning and realize that learning continues outside the classroom and for life.
Learning is the basis for personal growth, and teaching is one opportunity to learn from
others. Students possess the desire to learn and share. They each have a unique view of the world to
offer. I encourage an exchange of ideas between myself and my students. I always consider myself to
be a student while I am teaching, so I am the best student in the room. Students have a wealth of
experiences to share, and I want my students to know that I am eager to learn from them also. I
believe that the biggest injustice that an educator can commit is to be complacent. Every experience
has something to offer us, and if we continually strive to better ourselves as a result of that
experience then we are truly educators. "The more I learn, the more I learn how little I know." -
Socrates
As students accept a greater amount of responsibility and become more active in their own
education, they will ultimately learn more. My emphasis on "learning to learn" and student
ownership of learning are related to my belief that students and teachers should learn together. I try
to help students make an academic and social connection to their university by using learning
communities with an integrated curriculum. I want to create a synergy between the learning
communities. Each student is blessed with individual gifts and talents; a school that engages students
in their abilities in and out of the classroom provides the optimal educational environment to be
challenged and to develop. I believe that the very best teaching practices include teaching with the
students interests in mind, setting high expectations, and balancing instructional methods. If these
practices are executed properly, one outcome would be that students find learning interesting and
challenging. I think when students work together as a team they are learning academically and
socially, and they are exposed to the diversity of fellow students. I believe teachers can address
students differences by teaching that uniqueness is a good thing and not everyone is the same. I try
to integrate thinking, feeling and hands on work into lessons. I believe that students should be active
and learn to solve problems by reflecting on their life experiences.
My third educational philosophy component is based upon a belief in fairness. I believe every
student should be treated fairly. Every student should receive what they need to gain an
education. They will receive an even amount of time, energy, and effort from me both in and out of
the classroom. I give every student an equally proficient education, and in doing this, sometimes I
have to treat students differently. Some students need more from me than others do, so
sometimes fair means I extend myself further to those students who need me more. I am there for all
of my students and their individual needs. All students should be treated fairly and should have the
same access to an education. I want all students to know that knowledge is power, and that they are
responsible for their own education.
My fourth component centers on my students and creating an appropriate learning
environment in and out of the classroom. It is my job as an educator to create a safe and positive
learning environment and to facilitate students taking responsibility for their own education. I strive
to create a place where my students know I sincerely care about them. I want them to benefit from
my experience, knowledge, and interests, but, even more, I want to teach them to find and satisfy
their own passions. I encourage students to search for their passions, and I will help guide them on
their search to success and happiness. My door is always open to my students. I do not want to be
strictly an authority figure. I am there for advising and mentoring; for listening to their needs and
problems; and for an adults point of view. As a mentor, I will display strong values and maintain
high expectations in order to have a strong impact on my students. I want to be a guide on their
journey to adulthood and to inspire and support their dreams while fostering a sense of belonging. I
must exemplify professionalism, charity, and civility. I want to foster mutual respect between my
students and me.
My beliefs about students greatly influence how I teach. Every teacher has unique
experiences, attitudes about teaching methods, and views on how to teach. I believe that all students
are capable of learning. My philosophy encompasses a variety of aspects, that combined, will create a
positive, student-centered atmosphere in and out of my classroom. I want each student to notice my
enthusiasm for teaching and learning when they are a part of my class. I work to make my classroom
environment open, friendly, fun, challenging and inspiring. I try to cultivate an innate curiosity and
love of learning in my students. I want them to discover a passion for learning. By creating an
encouraging, orderly classroom environment, involving discussions and group work, I will encourage
students to become successful learners and problem solvers. I teach with students goals and
interests as part of the curriculum. I have very positive attitudes and views, and I love working with
students.
My core educational goals extend beyond the academic curriculum into individual character
and personality, including social, emotional and intellectual components of my students. I believe
that human beings are social animals and have a unique biological affinity for learning, enculturation,
communication, and knowing the difference between right and wrong. I provide a safe place for
students while they are away from their home. I want my students to feel free to talk to me about
anything. If I am not equipped to give my students the appropriate advice or support they need, I will
encourage them to talk with counselors and social workers about their problems. I hope to give them
a feeling of security by being available to my students. I believe teachers can best help students learn
by paying attention to them and truly caring about them. I go the extra steps to let my students know
that I care. I base teacher-student relationships on trust and helpfulness. It is important that teachers
convey positive attitudes toward their students and believe that they can learn and develop a
friendship, yet still maintain respect for one another.
Everyone deserves the opportunity to be respected, develop their unique strengths, recognize
and modify weaknesses, and become a lifelong contributing and active citizen. Students and
educators should be responsible citizens, appreciate our wide diversity, and value individual
differences. We should embrace diversity and form partnerships in and out of the
classroom. Teachers have a role as a bridge to the community and to be active in their own
community. Teachers are a very big part of the students lives because they are the ones who are
not only teaching, but also demonstrating how to become a good citizen. We are all teachers and
learners everyday of our lives.
I hope to create an emotional experience within my students whereby they develop
knowledge, have a positive self esteem and internal motivation. The knowledge they acquire will be
goal oriented and curriculum driven. The way I accomplish this will vary depending on the uniqueness
of each class and the individuals in the class.
Finally, professional development is required for any teacher who seeks continuous self-
improvement. I am facilitator in the learning process and serve as a role model. I have an ongoing
responsibility to increase my knowledge of both content and pedagogy, and to continually reassess
my actions and programs in response to a constantly changing environment.
As an educator I need to be keenly aware of the role I play in a student's life. Life offers an
infinite realm of learning opportunities, each catalyzing personal growth and expanded
knowledge. As an educational facilitator, I need to be a flexible role model who demonstrates an
unconditional, consistent acceptance of all my students and continuously seeks to facilitate an
education that matches each individual. In my classroom, I will provide a safe, student-centered
environment which fosters a respect of individual self-concept and learning style. Everyone has a
significant contribution to offer to this world. Wherever I can, I will assist students in their pursuit of
their identity adjacent to the broad goals of education.
My educational philosophy has been shaped by many things. I rely on my philosophic
foundation to help me build both content and pedagogy. It is important to have strong beliefs,
grounded in sound theory to guide our teaching. It is equally important to remain open minded to
new trends and techniques that may benefit our students. An educational philosophy is not static; it
changes with time and experience, and I will continually reflect, examine, and refine what I believe
and why I believe it. I believe that my philosophy and the way that I understand things will change
with the knowledge that I gain. With this change I am open to anything and my views will be flexible
and as open to opinions as I can be. I know that if my students believe that they can do anything and
dream, they can conquer a new goal everyday, then I will have succeeded as a teacher in my
classroom. In conclusion I believe that every person can walk through the door eager to learn and
walk out ready to teach others with new, bright, and broad horizons. A profession which impacts the
lives of so many people demands nothing less than my best efforts.