BECOMING A TECHNICAL PROFESSIONAL

Table of Contents:
Preface v Learning Objectives v Technical Professionals Exceed Minimum Competency in Three Career Dimensions vi Acknowledgments xi Notes xi Chapters 1.0 Becoming a Professional I An invitation "to love and to work and to play and to look at the stars" I Notes 3 1.1 Navigating the Career Path 5 Who Is Responsible for Career Navigation? 5 An Integrated Education/Career Approach 7 Preparing a Personal Career Plan 9 Career Progression - Increasing One's Value and Sphere of Influence 20 Managing Career-Related Activities to Accomplish Outcome Goals 24 Assessing Career Gaps and Competencies 25 The Career Mentor 30 Journals, Portfolios, and Resumes 34 Conclusion 37 Homework Problems 38 Notes 40 Career Planning, Assessment, and Mentoring Workbook 42 Personal Career Assessment Questionnaire 48 An Evaluation of Where to Invest for Learning and Career Enhancement 53 1.2 Personal and Project Management Skills 55 Personal Time Management 55 Personal Time Planners 63 Meeting Agendas 66 Managing Project Activities 66 Conclusion 70 Homework Problems 71 Problem 8 Personal Financial Management Exercise 71 Problem 9 Opportunity Cost Exercise - Retirement Fund Calculations 73 Problem 10 Opportunity Cost Exercise - Buying a Timeshare Condo on the Beach 74 Notes 75 1.3 Launching the Career 77 Introduction 77 Resume Writing 77 Job Search 81 Cover Letters 82 I nterviewing Skills 83 Thank-you Letters 89 Homework Problems 90 Notes 90 2.0 Team Membership 91 Notes 92 2.1 Understanding Teams 93 Groups and Teams 93 Using Teams 94 Tasks/Relationships 98 Stages of Team Development 101 Team Leadership Needs and Styles 104 Selecting Team Members 108 Conclusion 109 Homework Problems 109 Team Development Questionnaire 112 Notes 117 2.2 Working on Teams 119 Getting Started 119 Scoping Out the Team's Work 126 Team Skills 128 Team Performance Evaluation 133 Conflict Management 136 Homework Problems 143 Conflict Management Questionnaire 143 Notes 147 3.0 Personal Learning Skills 149 Notes 153 3.1 Learning How to Learn 155 Development of Knowledge 155 Learning by Creating Useful Meanings 164 Everyone Learns Differently 170 Collaborative Learning 171 Education 172 A Personal Philosophy of Education 174 Conclusion 179 Homework Problems 180 Notes 180 3.2 Gaining Intellectual Maturity and Becoming a Learning Professional 181 Maturity As a Learner 181 Transitions to Higher Levels of Intellectual Maturity 185 Learning Is a Professional and a Personal Process 190 Self-Directed Learning 192 Conclusion 193 Homework Problems 194 Intellectual Maturity Questionnaire 194 Notes 198 3.3 The Art and Science of Creativity 199 Descriptions of Creativity 200 People Are Naturally Creative, But... 205 Conceptual Blocks 210 Creativity in Organizations and Groups 213 Creativity and Abstract Thinking 216 Creativity As a Process 218 Invention As a Process 219 Attributes of Creative People 220 Stimulating Creativity 225 Presenting New and Creative Ideas to Other People 229 Conclusion 230 Homework Problems 231 Notes 232 4.0 Communication 233 A Message to Garcia, by Elbert Hubbard, 1899 233 Gettysburg Address, by Abraham Lincoln, 1863 237 Homework Problems 238 4.1 Principles of Communication 239 The Communication System 240 Multiple Channel Communication 244 Limitations to Senders and Receivers 245 Ingredients for Sending Successful Communication Messages 247 Feedback in Communication 257 System Cloggers 258 Conclusion 259 Homework Problems 260 Notes 260 4.2 Preparing Technical Reports 261 Introduction 261 Differences Between Oral and Written Reports 263 Writing Technical Reports 264 Contents of Written Technical Reports 268 Preparing and Presenting Oral Technical Reports 271 Contents of Oral Technical Reports 274 Homework Problems 277 Notes 277 5.0 The Design Process 279 Design Is a Process, Not an Event 280 Homework Problems 287 Notes 287 5.1 Problem Formulation 289 Step 1 - Accept Need 289 Step 2 - Define Problem 292 Step 3 - Search 295 Step 4 - Criteria and Constraints 300 Homework Problems 305 Notes 305 5.2 Problem Solving 307 Step 5 - Alternative Solutions 307 Step 6- Analysis 311 Step 7 - Decision and Explication 320 Homework Problems 325 Notes 326 5.3 Solution Implementation 327 Step 8-Plan 327 Step 9 - Implement 334 Step 10-Evaluate 336 The Learning Professional 340 Homework Problems 341 Notes 342 Index 343 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Preface, iv Learning Objectives iv Individual Design Project iv Team Design Projects iv Acknowledgments vi Notes vi Chapters 1 Becoming an Engineer 1 What Is Engineering? 1 The Technology Team 1 Types of Engineering Work 3 Engineering Disciplines 5 Selecting a Discipline 8 Engineering Education 9 Design Is a Core Competency of Engineers 11 Professional Societies 12 Ethics and Social Responsibility 13 Engineering License 15 The Skills Needed to Support an Engineering Career are Changing 16 Word Processing and Spreadsheet Skills 23 Homework Problems 23 Notes 37 2 Catapult Design 39 The Basic Elements of Quality Engineering 39 Terminology of Experimental Design 40 Design of Experiments 40 Orthogonal Arrays 48 Homework Problems 51 Notes 55 3 Designing to Control Catapult Variability, 57 Process Variability 57 Evaluation of Process Capability 63 Potential Process Capability Index, Cp 64 Process Capability Index, Cpk 65 Instability Index, St 67 Use of Cp and Cpk 67 Process Stability and Normality of Data 68 Homework Problems 68 Notes 72 Waterwheel Design 73 Applying the Laws of Mechanics to Waterwheel Design 73 Lifting the Weight 77 Example Waterwheel Design 77 Other Design Considerations 81 Homework Problems 81 Tractor Design 87 Applying the Laws of Mechanics to Tractor Design 87 Considerations for Tractor Design 93 Tips for Tractor Construction 95 Homework Problems 96 6 Solar Oven Design 101 Introductory Definitions 101 The Solar Oven 103 Adding a Reflector to Increase Tio 108 Three Example Solar Oven Designs 111 Other Design Considerations 115 Useful Data for Solar Oven Design 116 Homework Problems 118 7 Wind Turbine Driven Electric Generator Design 121 Wings 121 Turbine Rotor Blades 122 Aerodynamic Analysis Based on Computer Software 126 Changing the Twist of the Turbine Blade by Removing Part of the Blade 128 Wind Turbine Rotors Coupled to a Generator 129 Coupling an Electric Generator to a Windmill 131 Miniature Turbine Construction Hints 135 Homework Problems 136 8 Understanding Statistical Data 139 Normal Distributions 139 Histograms 142 Pareto Charts 146 Homework Problems 150 Notes 152 9 Principles of Mechanics 153 Vectors 153 Moments (Turning Moments) 154 Free Body Diagrams 155 Equilibrium 157 Acceleration 159 Action - Reaction 159 Tension 160 Conversion Units 161 Homework Problems 161 Notes 162 Index 163