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Engineering is Problem Solving Problem-solving has been the path by which some of the most amazing inventions and technologies have arrived in the market today. They exist because one engineer had an idea. This is easy to see when you think about iPods, Roomba Vacuum cleaners, electric, hydrogen and fuel cell cars, rockets, plasma TVs, pacemakers, airplanes, wind farms and on and on. An engineering education teaches you how to think through a problem in order to solve it. These mental agility skills are great life skills too. They not only help in numerous career paths, they also help when raising a family (Cheaper by the Dozen, starring Steve Martin, was the real-life story of the Gilbreths — two industrial engineers trying to raise 12 children) or if you are lost in the wilderness (Man vs. Wild is the story of Bear Grylls, a survivalist that invents all kinds of gadgets to help him make it back to civilization.) Here is an example: http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/29586-man-vs-wild-waterfall-depth-gage-video.htm There are many examples of engineering on television. Hollywood usually doesn’t like to call it engineering but we know differently right? This month, I’m going to give away 5 copies of my new book, Engineers Make a Difference, to the first readers that can give me examples of other shows on TV that do engineering without calling it engineering. You can’t use the examples above, the less obvious the better and the more detail you include about why a certain show or episode of a show is engineering, the more likely you are to win. To enter, post your answer(s) in Talkback below. Good luck! Posted by Celeste Baine on November 6, 2008 We had great responses to the Engineering is Problem Solving blog last week. I gave away five copies of my new book, Engineers Make a Difference, to the readers that gave me examples of other shows on TV that do engineering without calling it engineering. Winner #1 picked my favorite – Batman. Eric Heiselt described, “whether it be movies, TV or cartoon. Batman is the ultimate engineer. He is the only "superhero" without superpowers, he only uses his brain. He engineered every tool on his utility belt as well as his car and other vehicles.” Winner #2 chose my son’s favorite “engineering” show – Ironman. Reed Brockman said, “If you haven't seen it, drop everything and watch it now.” Winner #3 chose the classic – McGyver. David Keathly said, “he was always having to solve problems and think on his feet to invent some gadget to get out of a bad situation.” Winner #4 chose my childhood favorite – Gilligan’s Island. Mike Day said, “The best example is the professor on Gilligan's Island. He made everything, including a bike, out of bamboo and other items found on the island. One time he made a glue and they fixed the boat, but the glue did not hold.” Winner #5 was the most creative – The Food Network. Greg Goldbogen said, “The Food Network Challenge and Ace of Cakes. In each of these the chefs create the most amazing cakes which require some knowledge of structural engineering in order to ensure that the cakes, some of which are immense structures, do not collapse. This is especially important when they are transported.” I don’t watch much TV but this week, I sat down a few times and was very surprised that just by thinking about engineering and examples in Hollywood, I saw things I must have missed earlier. On Chuck, his ex-girlfriend is a biomedical engineer that develops an antidote to a lethal gas. Crusoe is all things engineering. He built his tree house, uses simple machines for everything and constantly solves his own unique problems, and CSI shows use all sorts of gadgets to solve crimes. If you haven’t read the posts, take a few minutes to see what your colleagues are thinking. All of the examples are excellent and they will give you some great ideas for classroom projects! If your students enjoy watching TV or going to the movies, have them write a paper identifying the engineers doing engineering work in what they saw. Posted by Celeste Baine on November 14, 2008 |
