My Discipline

For this post I will be explaining the aspirations of engineering students and current spectacles related to the field. Engineering is one of the most common fields college students pursue, although there are still many questions generated. Below I will answer five general questions to get a better understanding of the field.

What do students in your program learn how to do?

Students in the field of engineering are taught how to develop solutions to technical problems through rigorous studies involving mathematics and science. The first couple of years primarily focus on getting students accustomed to using computer programs in order to produce and analyze designs and then using those designs to simulate and test machines. An engineer's goal is to create products that are more efficient. That means not only creating products that will run more efficiently, but will also allow consumers to preserve their funds.

For those who don't wish to create products, they can focus on maintenance projects. Analyzing problems within factories and determining the time and cost required to fix the problem is another common area of interest for developing engineers. Through their acquired knowledge of science and mathematics, they are able to quickly identify issues and allow the flow of production to continue. Engineering has paved the path for where we stand today, with most things automated and running efficiently.

What do people who get degrees in this field usually go on to do for work?

The field of engineering has about 17 specialties that have been recognized by the Federal government. Majority of the primary fields of engineering have subsets of engineering within them. For example, someone who chose to specialize in the field of Civil Engineering would also deal with structural and transportation engineering.

As discussed in the question above, a large portion of engineers go on to create products that are cost efficient and increase production value. The degrees that focus heavily on bettering the quality of life through technology include, but are not limited to; Electrical and Chemical engineering, Mechanical engineering, Biosystems engineering, and Biomedical engineering. Those who want to focus on analyzing problems and developing plans often go into Engineering management, although most engineers are taught to deal with the problems within their own specialties.

What drew you to this field?

Throughout most of my high school experience I knew that there were two things I was interested in; computers and the earth. Preserving the earth and trying to maintain the scarce resources we have available to us has always been a fascination of mine. I wanted to be able to pursue a field of study that would allow me to create models of equipment that could help to better sustain the environment.

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Originally, I assumed that what I was looking for could be found within one of the science degrees offered here at the University of Arizona. However, upon further investigation, the degree that suited me the most was within the field of engineering. By majoring in Biosystems Engineering, I will be able to develop technology to gain a deeper understanding of agriculture and biology. This encompasses creating sustainable soil and water resources, developing biological and biomedical products, and potentially designing life support systems for other planets.

Who are the leaders/most exciting people in your field right now? Why?

One of the most primitive leaders in the field of engineering is a man by the name of Bernard Gordon. Founder of the Analog Corporation, Gordon is well-known for creating one of the first fetal heart monitor back in the 50's, as well as inventing the first CAT-scan machine.

Well into 80's, Bernard Gordon is still a predominant figure in the field of engineering. Many people look to Gordon for advice, and he spends much of his time visiting schools to give speeches. His continual presence in the field of engineering has inspired many individuals. Gordon wants to promote the importance of engineering education, and aides schools through funding them. His advancements of analog-to-digital conversions are found in a plethora of machines today, and he serves as the model engineer.

What are the leading academic/scholarly journals in your field? Where are they published?

The field of Environmental engineering has three leading scholarly journals.

The most popular of the three is the Environmental Science and Technology journal, under chief editor David L. Sedlak. The journal headquarters lie in the University of California in Berkeley, and has had thousands of articles published within the past year.

Another high-ranked journal is the Journal of Power Sources under Editor-in-Chief Stefano Passerini. The journal is published by company Elsevier and has roughly 250,000 articles released each year.

The journal of Water Science and Technology resides with editor Professor Wolfgang Rauch and is published by IWA publishing.

EDIT

Before browsing through some of my classmates disciplines, I had no idea how many people were pursuing similar fields to mine. While I never knew the specific field I intended to pursue, I had the general concept of what I wished to do, and that was to work with nature. It was comforting to see that some of my classmates had the same aspirations as me, and that we could be the ones to create a drastic change in the field.

Samantha's post revealed to me that I wasn't the only high school student that actually enjoyed being able to analyze literature. Although I could never see myself teaching students, it's nice to know that someone will open the doors of literature to growing students.

It was Mira's post that left me with a large sense of euphoria. My passions are very similar. We both intend to focus on sustaining and preserving the environment while continuing to play music. Much like Mira, I found myself torn in the decision of music or science, but since music has a very low pay rate I also went down the path of likelier success. It will be interesting to see if our paths cross down the road as I create technology that can potentially be used in the field of environmental science.