ENGINEERING ORIENTATION

AN INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING by Engr. Carlito Gutierrez

What is Engineering? What Do Engineers Do?

 Engineers vs Scientists
“The scientist seeks to understand what is. The Engineer seeks to CREATE what
never was.”-Theodore von Karman
 Engineers apply physical and chemical laws and principles and mathematics to design
millions of products and services that we use in our everyday lives.

Common Traits of Good Engineers

♥ Engineers are problem solvers.

♥ Good engineers have a firm grasp of the fundamental principles of engineering.
♥ Good engineers are analytical, detailed-oriented, and creative.
♥ Good engineers have a desire to be life-long learners.
♥ Good engineers, regardless of their area of specialization, have a core knowledge that
can be applied to many areas.
♥ Good engineers have written and oral communication skills that equip them to work well
with their colleagues and to convey their expertise to a wide range of clients.
♥ Good engineers have time-management skills that enable them to work productively and
efficiently.
♥ Good engineers have “people skills” that allow them to interact and communicate with
various people in their organization.
♥ Engineers are adept at using computers in many different ways to model and analyze
various technical problems.
♥ Good engineers actively participate in local and national discipline specific organizations
by attending seminars, workshops and meetings.
♥ Engineers generally work in a team environment where they consult each other to solve
complex problems.

Specific Engineering Disciplines

 Civil Engineering
1. Oldest branch of engineering profession
2. The term ‘civil’ was used to distinguish this field from military engineers
3. Involves application of the laws, forces and materials of nature to the design,
construction, operation and maintenance of facilities that serve our needs in an
efficient, economical manner.
4. Civil engineers works outdoors at least some of the time, more than any other
specialists
5. Structural Engineers
• Design bridges, buildings, dams, tunnels and supporting structures

6. Transportation Engineers
• Design, construct, operate and maintain facilities tat move people and
goods throughout the world, whether by land, sea or air.
7. Environmental Engineers
• Maintains a healthful environment by proper treatment and distribution of
drinking water, treatment of wastewater and control of all forms of
pollution
 8. Geotechnical Engineers
• Carefully studies the soil, rock and groundwater conditions before any
structure can be erected to ensure stability of pavements and structures
• Plans cement and asphaltic concrete mixes for all types of construction
9. Surveying Engineers
• Develop maps for any type of engineering project. If a road is to be built
on a mountain range, surveying engineers will determine the exact route
and develop a topographical survey, which is then used by the
transportation engineer to lay out the roadway
10. Construction Engineers
• Often works outside at the actual construction site
• Involved with the initial estimating of construction costs for surveying,
excavation and construction.
• Supervises the construction, start-up, and initial operation of the facility
until the client is ready to assume operational responsibility

 Chemical Engineering
1. Deals with the chemical and physical principles that allow us to maintain a
sustainable development.
2. Creates, design, and operate processes that produce useful materials, including
fuels, plastics, structural materials, food products, fibers and fertilizers
3. As our natural resources become scarce, chemical engineers are finding ways to
extend them or creating substitutes.
4. Have a strong background in basic and advanced chemistry (organic, inorganic,
physical, analytical, materials and biochemistry)
5. Research Engineers
• Develops new products and materials that benefit humankind and the
environment
6. Unit Operations/Process Engineers
• Determines the feasibility of carrying on a process on a large scale in a
pilot plant through the identification of unit operation processes
necessary to produce the desired product.

 Mechanical Engineering
1. Involved with all forms of energy generation, distribution, utilization and
conversion
2. Design and development of machines, control of automated systems,
manufacturing and processing of materials and creative solutions to
environmental problems
3. Research, manufacturing, operations, testing, marketing, administration and
teaching

 Electrical Engineering
1. Design, develop, test and supervise the manufacture of electrical equipment,
such as Power Transformers, Generators, and industrial motors
2. Designs power, lighting, alarm and safety system requirements and wiring
thereof of buildings, cars, buses, trains, ships and aircrafts.
3. Major branches are Power Generation, Power Transmission, Power Distribution
and Controls.

 Electronics and Communications Engineering

1. Design, develop, test and supervise the production of electronic equipment,
including computer hardware, network hardware, communication devices such
 as cellular phones, television, audio and video equipment, as well as measuring
instruments.
2. Development of solid-state circuits (functional electronic circuits manufactured as
one part rather than wired together).

 Industrial Engineering
1. Primary Objective: to improve the competitiveness and vitality of industry,
government and nonprofit institutions through the application of theory to human
endeavors.
2. Areas of Specialization
• Manufacturing
 Understand the fundamentals of modern and economic
manufacturing
 Use product specification as the keystone to part
interchangeability
 Verify a product’s conformance to specifications
 Design logical manufacturing layouts
• Human Factors
 Analyze and design both the job and worksite in a cost-effective
manner using time studies
 Design, implement and evaluate human-computer interfaces
according to outlined principles

• Management and Information Systems

 Apply time value of money to make financial decisions
 Use probability concepts to solve engineering problems
 Estimate parameters, conduct tests of hypotheses and create
regression models
 Apply statistical quality control methods
 Optimize and solve mathematical models of real problems using
available techniques
Preparing for an Engineering Career

A. Making the Transition from High School to College

♥ Accept that this is a BIG step
♥ The next five years will affect you for the rest of your life.
♥ In HIGH SCHOOL, most of the learning took place INSIDE the class
♥ In COLLEGE, most of your education takes place OUTSIDE the class
♥ Get rid of OLD HABITS, develop some NEW HABITS
♥ YOU take the responsibility for Learning, nobody can make you learn.

B. Budgeting Your Time

♥ Purpose: to learn how to manage your time wisely if you want to be successful in
life
♥ Each has 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week
♥ Allocate time for sleep, family and friends, studying, relaxation and recreation,
work if applicable
♥ Good Rule of Thumb in Studying: spend at least 2 to 3 hours for each hour of
class time
♥ Flexibility can be adopted – no one wants to follow a schedule to the second!

C. Daily Studying and Preparation

♥ Start studying and preparing from the very first day in class!
♥ Attend Classes Regularly
♥ Get Help Right Away
♥ Take Good Notes
♥ Select a Good Study Place
♥ Form Study Groups
♥ Prepare for Examinations

D. Getting Involved with an Engineering Organization

♥ Networking
♥ Participation in plant tours
♥ Listening to technical guest speakers
♥ Participation in design competitions
♥ Attending social events
♥ Short courses, seminars and conferences
♥ Student loans and scholarships

E. Other Considerations
♥ Doing volunteer work
♥ Get to know your classmates
♥ Get to know an upper-division engineering student
♥ Vote in Local and National Election

Introduction to Engineering Design

☺ Step 1: Recognize the need for a product or service
☺ Step 2: Defining and understanding the problem completely
☺ Step 3: Doing the preliminary research and preparation
☺ Step 4: Conceptualizing ideas for possible solutions
☺ Step 5: Synthesizing the results
☺ Step 6: Evaluating the good ideas in more detail
☺ Step 7: Optimizing the results to arrive at the best possible solution
☺ Step 8: Presenting the Solution