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Archives
Books by Celeste Baine
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Engineers Make a Difference: Motivating Students to Pursue an Engineering Education
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Sustainable Energy Engineering Teacher's Guide
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Aerospace Engineering Teacher's Guide
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Mechanical Engineering Teacher's Guide
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Engineering Principles Teacher's Guide
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Engineering Graphics Teacher's Guide
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Aeronautical Engineering Teacher's Guide
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Civil Engineering Teacher's Guide
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Teaching Engineering Made Easy: A Friendly Introduction to Engineering Activities for Middle School Teachers
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The Musical Engineer: A Music Enthusiast's Guide to Engineering and Technology Careers
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The Fantastical Engineer: A Thrillseeker's Guide to Careers in Theme Park Engineering - Second Edition
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High Tech Hot Shots: Careers in Sports Engineering
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Is There an Engineer Inside You?: A Comprehensive Guide to Career Decisions in Engineering |
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Engineers Who Work in Fashion
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Exclusive Excerpt from Ideas in Action: A Girl's Guide to Careers in Engineering
Most people don’t think “engineering” when they think about clothing, runway shows, hair products and cosmetics. However, they should.
Engineers are involved in all types of apparel design. From space suits for NASA, to protective clothing for fire fighters, to bulletproof vests for law enforcement, to athletic apparel that wicks away the sweat of marathon runners, to scuba suits and shoes – engineers are involved in assessing the performance needs of the clothing, and deciding on and/or developing the materials needed to improve the item’s performance.
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For example:
- Men and women who work in a coal mine need pants with cuff guards to keep them out of rotating equipment. Their boots are steel-toed and provide extra metatarsal (foot and toe) protection, and their safety belt must include a battery pack for their helmet light and self-rescue breathing apparatus.
- Firefighters have insulated fire-resistant pants and jackets. Their boots are designed to keep their footing on wet, slippery roofs as well as icy sidewalks. Firefighters may also have to wear HazMat suits to step into chemical spills without being harmed.
- Hockey players have pads that are designed for maximum playing flexibility and goal coverage. Their chest protectors can stop the hottest shots, and their masks and helmets can withstand the force of a well-hit hockey puck.
- Even lumberjacks and lumberjills have special clothing. In this profession, they usually wear designer chaps that are designed to bind up and stop the chainsaw before it can do any damage to the wearer. They also have oversized gloves and a hard hat with both vision and hearing protection.
- Race car drivers need thick, fireproof insulation and flame barrier clothing to protect them in a crash. Their helmets are tight-fitting with extra padding for both noise and crash protection. The helmet is also wired for two-way communication, and includes air conditioning connections to keep them cool.
Every cosmetics and hair care company also needs engineers to make sure the products that you apply to your face, eyes, hands, mouth and hair every day are healthy, don’t produce allergies and are not toxic to your system. Not only are they involved in keeping you beautiful, they are also involved in the packaging and distribution of the products. They make sure that all of your mascara, face powder, eyeliner, foundation, blush, lipstick and everything else get to the right stores in time for you to purchase what you need.
The most common degrees for engineers in the cosmetics industry are chemical and biomedical engineering. The most common degrees for engineers in the clothing industry are chemical, materials, biomedical, textile, manufacturing and mechanical engineering.
Posted by Celeste Baine on September 15, 2009
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