Engineering Your Future

William C. Oakes, P.E., is Professor of Engineering Education and Director of the EPICS Program at Purdue University. He is also the coauthor of Service-Learning: Engineering in Your Community, Second Edition (OUP, 2013) and a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education and National Society of Professional Engineers. Les L. Leone is Assistant Dean Emeritus at the College of Engineering at Michigan State University. He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards from the American Society for Engineering Education.

Preface

1. The Heritage of Engineering
1.1 Introduction
1.2 The Beginnings of Engineering: The Earliest Days
1.3 Early Cities
1.4 A Case Study of Two Historic Engineers
1.5 Computers, Information, Networking, and People
1.6 The History of the Disciplines
1.7 Closing Thoughts
References
Exercises and Activities

2. Engineering Majors
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Engineering Functions
2.3 Engineering Majors
2.4 Emerging Fields
2.5 Closing Thoughts
2.6 Engineering and Technical Organizations
References
Exercises and Activities

3. A Statistical Profile of the Engineering Profession
3.1 Statistical Overview
3.2 College Enrollment Trends of Engineering Students
3.3 College Majors of Recent Engineering Students
3.4 Degrees in Engineering
3.5 Job Placement Trends
3.6 Salaries of Engineers
3.7 The Diversity of the Profession
3.8 Distribution of Engineers by Field of Study
3.9 Engineering Employment by Type of Employer
3.10 Percent of Students Unemployed or in Graduate School
3.11 A Word from Employers
Exercises and Activities

4. Succeeding in the Classroom
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Attitude
4.3 Goals
4.4 Keys to Effectiveness
4.5 Test-taking
4.6 Making the Most of Your Professors
4.7 Learning Styles
4.8 Well-Rounded Equals Effective
4.9 Your Effective Use of Time
4.10 Accountability
4.11 Overcoming Challenges
References
Exercises and Activities

5. Problem Solving
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Analytic and Creative Problem Solving
5.3 Analytic Problem Solving
5.4 Creative Problem Solving
5.5 Personal Problem-Solving Styles
5.6 Brainstorming Strategies
5.7 Critical Thinking
References
Exercises and Activities

6. Computer Tools for Engineers
6.1 The Internet
6.2 Word Processing Programs
6.3 Spreadsheets
6.4 Mathematics Software
6.5 Presentation Software
6.6 Operating Systems
References
Exercises and Activities

7. Teamwork
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Engineers Often Work in Teams
7.3 Team Organizational Structures
7.4 Team Growth Stages
7.5 What Makes a Successful Team?
7.6 Team Leadership
7.7 Effective Decision Making
7.8 Attitudes toward Team Experiences
7.9 Documenting Team Performance
References
Exercises and Activities

8. Engineering Design
8.1 What Is Engineering Design?
8.2 The Engineering Design Process
8.3 Using the Engineering Design Process-ATM
8.4 Using the Engineering Design Process-Backpack
References
Exercises and Activities

9. Technical Communications
9.1 Visual Communication
9.2 Oral Presentations
9.3 Written Documents
9.4 Revising and Editing
9.5 Conclusion
References
Exercises and Activities

10. Ethics and Engineering
10.1 Introduction
10.2 The Nature of Ethics
10.3 The Nature of Engineering Ethics
10.4 Codes of Ethics and the Obligations of Engineers
Exercises and Activities

11. Engineering Work Experience
11.1 A Job and Experience
11.2 Summer Jobs and On- and Off-Campus Work Experiences
11.3 Volunteer or Community Service Experiences
11.4 Supervised Independent Study or Research Assistantship
11.5 Internships
11.6 Cooperative Education
11.7 Which Is Best for You?
Exercises and Activities

Appendix A. Nine Excel® Skills Every Engineering Student Should Know
Appendix B. Impress Them: How to Make Presentations Effective
Appendix C. An Introduction to MATLAB

Index