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Formerly known as the Engineering Education Advocate
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Books by Celeste Baine
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Engineering Graphics Teacher's Guide |
Aeronautical Engineering Teacher's Guide |
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Civil Engineering Teacher's Guide |
Teaching Engineering Made Easy: A Friendly Introduction to Engineering Activities for Middle School Teachers |
The Musical Engineer: A Music Enthusiast's Guide to Engineering and Technology Careers |
The Fantastical Engineer: A Thrillseeker's Guide to Careers in Theme Park Engineering - Second Edition |
High Tech Hot Shots: Careers in Sports Engineering |
Is There an Engineer Inside You?: A Comprehensive Guide to Career Decisions in Engineering |
Merging Art and Science - Excerpt from "The Fantastical Engineer"
Theme parks merge science and art in an attempt to create an illusion that is so close to reality that your mind and emotions cannot distinguish the real from the magical. The idea behind the development of most theme parks is to envelop the visitor in a seemingly different time and place.Walt Disney opened Disneyland, the first theme park, on July 17th, 1955. Disneyland was different from other amusement parks at the time because its attractions and rides told stories. A story told in a theme park attraction strives to engage all five of the guests' senses. A well-told story weaves a complex web that engages the guest's vision, hearing, smelling, tasting, and sense of touch. A wonderful attraction can make people laugh and cry and want to applaud an illusion that feels like reality.
Imagineering, a term coined by Walt Disney, refers to the work of a team of people who are responsible for the creation and development of all elements of a theme park. This unique team can include illustrators, architects, interior designers, landscape designers, machinists, writers, artists, researchers, schedulers, sound technicians, model-makers, filmmakers, carpenters, estimators, accountants, industrial designers, graphic designers, and of course, engineers. According to Nathan Naversen, a themed attraction designer and consultant, "Engineers figure out a way to make it work. Whether it be sizing the structural columns and measuring shear forces on a roller coaster, or developing new electronics to make an animatronic character function (animatronics is the electronic technology used to animate motorized puppets or characters.) Engineers do the math to make everything stand up."
Civil, structural and mechanical engineering are the most common majors for engineers on the Imagineering team.
How do they make it all stand up? Imagineers attempt to transport the guest to the magical story-world they have created. Illusion and reality often overlap. The more senses that an engineer can engage simultaneously, the more real the created environment seems to be. To have a make-believe environment seem real, the technology behind it must be invisible. Art and science must blend into illusion. The imagineers know they have done their job well when their guests return again and again to experience the magic they have created.
Appealing to the five senses is no easy task. It may take a whole team of people working together to create a feature that engages only one sense.
Entertainment engineering is a hot topic to motivate students. To read more, visit: http://engineeringedu.com/store/fantastical.html
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Posted by Celeste Baine on April 30, 2008
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