each part of her smartphone The work of engineers is all around us Engineers use science and creative thinking to design objects and processes that solve practical problems Some engineering feats save lives These include safe cars and buildings Others make life more fun These include devices that play movies and music Many engineers build technology that helps the environment Solar panels and wind turbines for example create electricity without polluting In all areas of engineering women are making a difference Engineers must earn college degrees in their chosen fields They need to know more than math and science Engineers must be able to communicate their ideas They should be good at working with teams And they should understand the social responsibility behind their work Today’s engineers work in many settings Some work for the government They may help build rockets at NASA Others work at large companies They 6
Start Identify the problem Research the problem Think about possible solutions Make changes to the design based on testing Test the prototype Create a prototype Choose the most promising solution The Engineering Design Process Nearly all engineers follow a process they call the engineering design process This multistep plan helps them identify needs create solutions and improve their designs Take a look at the steps above What might happen if an engineer skipped one of these steps may design computers at Apple or cars at General Motors Some work in small start-up companies They may create the latest popular website Finally some engineers are teachers They teach high school and college students about their field 7
A Growing Number Women have played a major role in the history of engineering However the number of female engineers today is relatively low In 2014 only 11 percent of US engineers were women This number is likely to rise in the future Many young women are studying engineering Twenty percent of US engineering students in 2015 were female Some schools saw even higher figures The University of Pennsylvania reported 8 IN THE REAL WORLD What Do They Do There are dozens of types of engineers They work with different kinds of products and structures Here are a few engineering fields Aerospace engineers design airplanes and spacecraft Agricultural engineers design new processes and build improved machinery for farmers Civil engineers design and maintain bridges dams roads water lines waste systems and other infrastructure Electrical engineers design systems that use electricity ranging from power plants to communications equipment
Engineer Mary Lobo tests spacecraft parts in large airless chambers to make sure they work in extreme conditions in 2015 that 37 percent of its incoming engineering class was female Many engineers and educators are committed to increasing gender diversity Why Engineering Rocks Advanced technology is important to daily life We rely on computers to keep in touch with friends do 9
