Engineering

Roles & Professionalism By Ezer Yeboah-Boateng 1Quote of the Week?? //** ? Working together for the common good of society… 2Outline ?Introduction ?Roles of Engineers ?Engineers & the Environment ?Engineers as Professionals ?Engineers Today 3Books & Resources ? Engineering & Social Justice, by Donna Riley, 2008; Morgan & Claypool Publishers. ? Bridging the Gap Between Engineering & the Global World: A Case Study of the Coconut (Coir) Fiber Industry in Kerala, India, by Shobha K. Bhatia & Jennifer L. Smith, 2008; Morgan & Claypool Publishers. 45 Learning Outcomes To explain the various roles that engineers play in society; ? To appreciate the professionalism of engineers in contributing to society. ? To position engineers to be proactive in meeting societal needs. Introduction How do people perceive engineers? 6Introduction ? Whatever the popular perception of an engineer, this lesson will focus on different roles of, and played by, engineers. ? Not exactly life overwhelmed by: ? calculations, ? designs (structural, hydrological, chips, fuzzy systems & control; cyber-security, etc. ), ? drawings, ? Analysis, ? supervision of construction etc. 7Introduction Life as an engineer is more than this, and sometime he plays roles which on first impression are not linked to their professional training. ? It is stressed that the training received as an engineer is part of the reasons which an engineer can display his versatility. The Engineer is versatile! 8Roles of Engineers Various roles played by engineers include: ? Managers ? Scientists ? Experts ? Politicians ? Academics ? Others 9Roles of Engineers Engineers as Managers ? Who is a manager? ? Someone who plans, organizes, coordinates, controls, executes, and achieves the objectives that are entrusted upon him. Career progression ? Are engineers good managers? ? E. g. Alfred Sloan of General Motors – electrical engineer 10Roles of Engineers Engineers as Managers ? The management gurus: many of them were trained as engineers! ? Michael E Porter – “competitive advantage” – aeronautical/mechanical engineer ? W. Edward Deming – “quality” – electrical engineer ? Joseph Juran – “quality” – electrical engineer ? Henry Mintzberg – “strategic management” – mechanical engineer ? Tom Peters – “Excellence” – civil engineer ? F. W. Taylor – “scientific management”, “time motion study” – mechanical engineer (? ) Henry Fayol – “Industrial management” – mining engineer ? Henry Gantt – “Gantt chart” – mechanical engineer 11Roles of Engineers Engineers as Scientists ? Science and engineering are interlinked; it would not be wrong to say that engineering is applied science. (Science is the theoretical foundation of engineering? ) ? Paul Dirac – 1933 Nobel Prize Winner in Physics – trained as an electrical engineer 12Roles of Engineers Engineers as experts ? E. g. Giving expert opinions in court as to what could have been the cause(s) of the issues in dispute: Highland Tower tragedy, Dingo baby case; ? Melcom Achimota building disaster Forensic study 13Roles of Engineers Engineers as politicians ? Almost the entire Chinese leadership are engineers! ? Hu Jintao, fmr. Chinese Prez – Hydraulic engineer ? Boris Yelsin, fmr. Russian President – civil engineer ? Prof. De Graft Johnson, fmr. V. P. , Ghana (1979-81) – civil engineer ? Aliu Mahama, fmr. V. P. , Ghana (2001-09) – building tech 14Roles of Engineers Engineers in Politics: Picture of the world politicians…. 15Roles of Engineers Engineers as academics ? Need I say more? 16Roles of Engineers Others ? Engineers as salesmen ? Engineers as entrepreneurs ? Engineers as lawyers? Engineers as Reverends or Pastors ? Etc. 17Engineers & the Environment ? Engineers don’t operate in a vacuum: ? They are part and parcel of the society; ? They exist to meet the needs of society; ? They harness the resources of society; ? The environment include: ? The economical and commercial environment ? The social environment ? The political environment: the globalized world ? The cultural environment ? The legal environment 18Engineers as Professionals ? What is the expectation and relationship of engineers vis-a-vis the society? ? The answer is the Professional Engineer! ? Who is a professional?
What is a “profession”? 5 aspects: i. Nature of work: intellectual, mental vs. manual, specialized skills and knowledge ii. Moral aspect: this goes beyond general honesty, integrity, codes of conduct and ethics, “self regulation” iii. Collective organization: professional association, entry and competence, “accreditation” and “recognition” – e. g. Ghana Act 819, 2011. iv. Status v. Impartiality and independence 19Engineers of Today ? Engineers owe responsibility to ? the general public: safety, environment ? direct consumers of the project ? fellow engineers ? clients e. g. government, industry ? Engineers owe duty to themselves ? which are inherent in their works and institution to which they belong ? legal requirements: professional negligence ? contractual duties ? “the greater good” 20Engineers of Today ? Today’s engineer must have exposure to other fields of knowledge and skills (besides his specialty) in order to be able to properly discharge his functions: ? communication and presentation skills: oral and written ? economics and finance ? law ? presentation of self! ? Paradigm shift: ? Engineers should not merely respond to need: ? They should create or anticipate the needs and be leaders of society. They should have foresights for “unfulfilled needs”. 21Project Topics ? How can you apply the principles of Human Engineering to address the Cyber-crime menace in Ghana? ? OR ? How can Tertiary Students contribute to the Digital Inclusion in Ghana? ? 15 points ? Deadline: March 29, 2013 22Thank You All!!! ?Any comments & contributions???? 23Roles & Professionalism By Ezer Yeboah-Boateng 1Quote of the Week?? //** ? Working together for the common good of society… 2Outline ?Introduction ?Roles of Engineers ?Engineers & the Environment ?Engineers as Professionals ?Engineers Today 3Books & Resources Engineering & Social Justice, by Donna Riley, 2008; Morgan & Claypool Publishers. ? Bridging the Gap Between Engineering & the Global World: A Case Study of the Coconut (Coir) Fiber Industry in Kerala, India, by Shobha K. Bhatia & Jennifer L. Smith, 2008; Morgan & Claypool Publishers. 45 Learning Outcomes ? To explain the various roles that engineers play in society; ? To appreciate the professionalism of engineers in contributing to society. ? To position engineers to be proactive in meeting societal needs. Introduction How do people perceive engineers? 6Introduction Whatever the popular perception of an engineer, this lesson will focus on different roles of, and played by, engineers. ? Not exactly life overwhelmed by: ? calculations, ? designs (structural, hydrological, chips, fuzzy systems & control; cyber-security, etc. ), ? drawings, ? Analysis, ? supervision of construction etc. 7Introduction ? Life as an engineer is more than this, and sometime he plays roles which on first impression are not linked to their professional training. ? It is stressed that the training received as an engineer is part of the reasons which an engineer can display his versatility. The Engineer is versatile! Roles of Engineers Various roles played by engineers include: ? Managers ? Scientists ? Experts ? Politicians ? Academics ? Others 9Roles of Engineers Engineers as Managers ? Who is a manager? ? Someone who plans, organizes, coordinates, controls, executes, and achieves the objectives that are entrusted upon him. ? Career progression ? Are engineers good managers? ? E. g. Alfred Sloan of General Motors – electrical engineer 10Roles of Engineers Engineers as Managers ? The management gurus: many of them were trained as engineers! ? Michael E Porter – “competitive advantage” – aeronautical/mechanical engineer ? W.
Edward Deming – “quality” – electrical engineer ? Joseph Juran – “quality” – electrical engineer ? Henry Mintzberg – “strategic management” – mechanical engineer ? Tom Peters – “Excellence” – civil engineer ? F. W. Taylor – “scientific management”, “time motion study” – mechanical engineer (? ) ? Henry Fayol – “Industrial management” – mining engineer ? Henry Gantt – “Gantt chart” – mechanical engineer 11Roles of Engineers Engineers as Scientists ? Science and engineering are interlinked; it would not be wrong to say that engineering is applied science. (Science is the theoretical foundation of engineering? ) Paul Dirac – 1933 Nobel Prize Winner in Physics – trained as an electrical engineer 12Roles of Engineers Engineers as experts ? E. g. Giving expert opinions in court as to what could have been the cause(s) of the issues in dispute: Highland Tower tragedy, Dingo baby case; ? Melcom Achimota building disaster ? Forensic study 13Roles of Engineers Engineers as politicians ? Almost the entire Chinese leadership are engineers! ? Hu Jintao, fmr. Chinese Prez – Hydraulic engineer ? Boris Yelsin, fmr. Russian President – civil engineer ? Prof. De Graft Johnson, fmr. V. P. , Ghana (1979-81) – civil engineer ? Aliu Mahama, fmr.

V. P. , Ghana (2001-09) – building tech 14Roles of Engineers Engineers in Politics: Picture of the world politicians…. 15Roles of Engineers Engineers as academics ? Need I say more? 16Roles of Engineers Others ? Engineers as salesmen ? Engineers as entrepreneurs ? Engineers as lawyers? ? Engineers as Reverends or Pastors ? Etc. 17Engineers & the Environment ? Engineers don’t operate in a vacuum: ? They are part and parcel of the society; ? They exist to meet the needs of society; ? They harness the resources of society; ? The environment include: ? The economical and commercial environment ? The social environment The political environment: the globalized world ? The cultural environment ? The legal environment 18Engineers as Professionals ? What is the expectation and relationship of engineers vis-a-vis the society? ? The answer is the Professional Engineer! ? Who is a professional? What is a “profession”? 5 aspects: i. Nature of work: intellectual, mental vs. manual, specialized skills and knowledge ii. Moral aspect: this goes beyond general honesty, integrity, codes of conduct and ethics, “self regulation” iii. Collective organization: professional association, entry and competence, “accreditation” and “recognition” – e. . Ghana Act 819, 2011. iv. Status v. Impartiality and independence 19Engineers of Today ? Engineers owe responsibility to ? the general public: safety, environment ? direct consumers of the project ? fellow engineers ? clients e. g. government, industry ? Engineers owe duty ? to themselves ? which are inherent in their works and institution to which they belong ? legal requirements: professional negligence ? contractual duties ? “the greater good” 20Engineers of Today ? Today’s engineer must have exposure to other fields of knowledge and skills (besides his specialty) in order to be able to properly discharge is functions: ? communication and presentation skills: oral and written ? economics and finance ? law ? presentation of self! ? Paradigm shift: ? Engineers should not merely respond to need: ? They should create or anticipate the needs and be leaders of society. ? They should have foresights for “unfulfilled needs”. 21Project Topics ? How can you apply the principles of Human Engineering to address the Cyber-crime menace in Ghana? ? OR ? How can Tertiary Students contribute to the Digital Inclusion in Ghana? ? 15 points ? Deadline: March 29, 2013 22Thank You All!!! ?Any comments & contributions???? 23