Writing Question

Second Individual Essay for MAE 400 MAE 400 – FALL 2017 • Topic: Roles of Engineers During Product Lifecycle IMPORTANT FACT: Engineers are needed everywhere in technology – from long lead “pure research” to applied “research & development” through sales & marketing support as well as for creatively fixing old equipment Slide 137 Your Topic – Roles of Engineering in forthcoming Engineering Grand Challenges MAE 400 – FALL 2017 “Grand Challenges for Engineering,” the National Academy of Engineering Reference: www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/challenges.aspx Slide 138 Engineering Challenges MAE 400 – FALL 2017 • Make solar energy economical –production and storage • Manage the nitrogen cycle Engineers can help restore balance to the nitrogen cycle with better fertilization technologies and by capturing and recycling waste. • Advance health informatics Stronger health information systems not only improve everyday medical visits, but they are essential to counter pandemics and biological or chemical attacks. • Prevent nuclear terror The need for technologies to prevent and respond to a nuclear attack is growing. • Advance personalized learning Instruction can be individualized based on learning styles, speeds, and interests to make learning more reliable. Slide 139 Engineering Challenges MAE 400 – FALL 2017 • Provide energy from fusion Human-engineered fusion has been demonstrated on a small scale. The challenge is to scale up the process to commercial proportions, in an efficient, economical, and environmentally benign way. • Provide access to clean water The world’s water supplies are facing new threats; affordable, advanced technologies could make a difference for millions of people around the world. • Engineer better medicines-Engineers are developing new systems to use genetic information, sense small changes in the body, assess new drugs, and deliver vaccines • Secure cyberspace It’s more than preventing identity theft. Critical systems in banking, national security, and physical infrastructure may be at risk. • Engineer the tools of scientific discovery In the century ahead, engineers will continue to be partners with scientists in the great quest for understanding many unanswered questions of nature. • Slide 140 Engineering Challenges MAE 400 – FALL 2017 • Develop carbon sequestration methods Engineers are working on ways to capture and store excess carbon dioxide to prevent global warming. • Restore and improve urban infrastructure Good design and advanced materials can improve transportation and energy, water, and waste systems, and also create more sustainable urban environments. • Reverse-engineer the brain The intersection of engineering and neuroscience promises great advances in health care, manufacturing, and communication. • Enhance virtual reality True virtual reality creates the illusion of actually being in a difference space. It can be used for training, treatment, and communication. Slide 141 Essay Structure – What Paper Should Include MAE 400 – FALL 2017 • The student should select (from the list) his or her top challenge facing society • Intro – You need to explain what this challenge is, and what sort of technology does this challenge entail – Please include a writeup discussing why you think this topic is important • Explain the many and varied roles that Engineers play during the Lifecycle of this Technology – Select three roles engineers can fulfill in addressing the challenge. – Example roles: • • • • • • • • Researcher Designer Project Manager Systems Engineer Sales Engineer Manufacturing Engineer Marketing Engineer Product Support Engineer • Sum up why no one type of engineer can do everything! Slide 142 Role of Engineer Paper MAE 400 – FALL 2017 • For each role, the student should describe what the engineer would be doing to address the challenge. – The emphasis here is NOT so much on the engineering solution, but what engineers need to do… – Example: • For renewable energy, a design engineer could optimize the configuration of a PV solar power plant by reducing the weight of the aluminum support structure for the concentrating mirrors. This would reduce the cost-of-electricity…. • Consider what engineers ahead of and behind the design engineer need to do! Slide 143 Role of Engineer Paper MAE 400 – FALL 2017 • Continue to follow the Style Guide (spacing, margins, exec summary, APA format references) • There should be at least two direct quotes in the paper. Facts and thoughts that are not the student’s MUST be referenced. • The paper should be long enough to adequately cover the assignment, but concise enough to hold the reader’s attention. – Please keep it around 1,200 words. Slide 144 Things to think about when writing MAE 400 – FALL 2017 • Are the challenges reasonable? – Are the roles of the engineer inherently reasonable? – How you explain your reasoning when you write • Do you jump from topic to conclusion with no discussion? • Do you “ramble” all over the place? • Do you present several arguments and counter arguments? • You need to cite other sources, not just your opinion – Make sure there are least two direct quotes – Use the quotes to make your argument more effective. • You can agree or disagree with the quotes • Make sure your paper is concise yet complete – Hold to word limit Slide 145 When we grade you… MAE 400 – FALL 2017 • Remember! – These papers do not have one “correct” answer! – But to get full credit you need to make sure that • Your paper follows the Style Guide • You don’t have misssspellings, odd cApitaLization,, strange punctuation and other typographical errors! • Your logical arguments “flow” and make sense • If you present facts and opinions other than the your own, that they are referenced! Slide 146 MAE 400 – FALL 2017