Study engineering, writes Professor Sa'ad Medhat. He says half the technology we will need by 2015 has yet to be developed. Would you like to help out?
Is engineering all that great? Why have engineers through the centuries been revered and honoured? To answer this question, one need only pick up a mobile, flick on the television or ride up an elevator that takes you to the 41st floor in seconds.
All these feats and others, too numerous to recount, are all possible because of the power of engineering. A little word that literally drives everything we do in life.
If there was no engineering, there would be no transportation; no transportation means no travel, and no embrace of new cultures. No engineering means no energy, no light, no sound.
Can you imagine a world with no engineering? A world of nothingness? This is why engineering is so special. This is why engineering is such a truly special career to aspire to.
Engineering is anything but dull. It is dynamic and multi-disciplinary, exciting and fun. It is about wealth creation and betterment of our quality of life. It helps us discover the universe we live in. And it helps us work with others to create the unbelievable.
To put into perspective the latest science, engineering and technology advances, pause and consider a recent investigation that found that half the technology we will need by 2015 has yet to be developed and half of the jobs for 2020 have not even been thought of yet.
You never know, take up a career in engineering and you one day may be creating technology that changes the very world in which you live.
Don't be put off by maths
Often students are dissuaded from studying engineering because they perceive it to be ?too hard' or ?full of math'.
It is true that in every engineering course you will encounter some math, and of course, it is not the easiest of subjects. These are, however, small prices to pay for a rewarding career.
And it should not be forgotten that engineering covers a wide spectrum of disciplines, so you have plenty of choicse of what to study.
Heavy on teamwork
Just imagine how many engineers worked together to make the Cassini-Huygen mission to Saturn happen; or imagine the late night round table discussions that went into developing the world's largest passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380 that was launched in Toulouse, France, or even the mega-structured particle accelerator ATLAS (nicked-named the Black Hole Hunter) in Switzerland that brought together 22 countries, 37 laboratories and over 200 engineers.
All this shows engineering requires teamwork at an unprecedented level.
Personal experience
When I made my first foray into the world of engineering as an integrated circuit designer over 20 years ago, I never imagined it would take me on such an interesting and rewarding journey.
Along the way I contributed heavily to the development of VLSI chips, technology that made it possible to create the tiny mobiles, laptops and PDAs that we all take for granted now.
My work in Concurrent Engineering earned me the IBM Professorship. Advances in Concurrent Engineering enabled tech companies around the world to create their products cheaper and faster, and so in turn, fuelled the availability of technology to the masses and drove the digital revolution.
My engineering focus has recently changed; instead of creating devices, I'm cultivating minds.
The New Engineering Foundation is a charity I formed to promote of engineering as a career, and improve engineering education by giving lecturers the opportunity to experience the latest engineering technology practices through industrial secondment.
The rationale is that if the subject is invigorating and exciting to learn, students will understand better and will be all the more inspired to forge a career in engineering.
- The writer is the chief executive of the New Engineering Foundation, a charitable British trust that promotes modern science, engineering and technology education in higher education.
How do you know if engineering is right for you?
- If you like the idea of creating, inspiring and innovating, then a career in engineering could lead you to an exciting future.
- But if you want to be an engineer, you need to embrace the art of being multi-disciplined, for engineering is really a fusion of many different skills.
- You need to be good with logic, analysis and problem-solving
- To bring your ideas into reality you need to have a good business mind and to deliver the right solution, you need to be innovative, creative and think ?out of the box'.
It sounds like a resume for Superman, doesn't it?
But take time to consider that around the world, not least in the UAE, there are thousands of such Supermen (and Superwomen) using these remarkable skills to design, build and create engineering structures of immense complexity, from the sky piercing towers such as the Burj Al Arab and the upcoming Burj Dubai, to the smallest, pin prick-sized nano-robots used to deliver insulin directly into the blood stream. And of course, everything else in between.
The many disciplines in engineering
Engineering is full of variety and collaboration with various disciplines.
In construction, it all starts with the architect visualising the design and creating the plans for the structure or a building.
- Then we have the civil or construction engineer, who will be investigating the sites and arranging geological and geophysical investigations to select the most suitable foundation; they will also research and advise on the best engineering solution that will meet the client's needs and budget.
- In parallel, the structural engineer will be analysing risks associated with natural disasters including wind, earthquake, fire and floods, and will be designing the framework of the building to ensure the strength and rigidity of the structure meets appropriate standards.
- A hydraulic/water resources engineer will design and supervise the construction of water resource facilities such as drainage and sewerage control systems.
- A pipeline engineer will, in consultation with mechanical engineers, determine the suitable layout of lines based on accurate mapping, surveying and analysis of operations and maintenance costs to determine the efficiency of the system.
- The electrical engineer will plan and design the power generation and delivery requirements for the building. They will be responsible for designing and producing drawings of electrical systems using computer-assisted design (CAD).
The electrical engineer will have to decide on the type and arrangement of cabling, circuit-breakers, control and signalling devices, appliances and equipment all based on scientific calculations to comply with specifications and safety standards. - The electrical engineer will plan and design telecommunications and networks infrastructure and the fire and safety systems.
- Creating mega structures such as Burj Dubai requires that environmental engineers play a central role in construction.
- Their role has expanded as public, corporate and government awareness about the environment has led to new opportunities in the environmental field.
Do students in the UAE really care about science and mathematics programmes?
"I think interest in business is increasing, especially since there aren't many good science universities in the region."
- Seema Merchant, commerce, University of Wollongong, Dubai (UOWD)
"Interest in the sciences is definitely increasing, especially with all the new technologies arising to facilitate and develop the sciences."
- Amir Ali, business administration, Mahatma Gandhi University
"Personally, I'm not into the sciences at all."
- Usamah Khan, business administration, European University College Brussels (ESHAL)
"Interest in business and finance is definitely on the rise."
- Barkha Ghaghea, commerce, UOWD
"As far as I know, most Indian students are ?gung ho' about the sciences."
- Neha Agarwal, IT management, S.P. Jain Centre of Management Development
"Business is the best; so interest is dwindling in the sciences."
- Dennis Noack, marketing, EHSAL
"Over here, more and more people are opting for commerce and finance subjects, not science."
- Pooja Bhatia, business administration, UOWD
"I think there's a huge interest in the sciences, and there always will be."
- Abher Nadeem, masters in human resources, EHSAL
"I think there is a lot of interest coming up in the sciences, especially when it comes to something like computer science."
- Deepti Mehta, information technology, S.P. Jain Centre of Management Development
"I would say there is more interest in business subjects. It's all about business - you can't go wrong with it."
- Fadi Ghabour, Marketing, EHSAL
