Engineers bring economic benefit to their employers. In this episode, we talk with Professor James Trevelyan about the value of engineers in the workplace. While the word “value” has many meanings, Chris has an immediate desire to interpret it in terms of dollars and cents. Engineers obviously provide some economic value, as employers continue handing … Continue reading Episode 19 — Value →

In this episode, Chris and Jeff discuss the role of failure in advancing engineering knowledge. All things fail at some point. Engineers advance their own knowledge, and that of the profession, by analyzing these failures. As a guideline for our discussion, we reference the book, “To Engineer is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful … Continue reading Episode 18 — Failure →

How are the DIY and engineering communities meshing as prototyping and anlysis tools become more widely available? Chris and Jeff discuss the issue with a well-known inventor in this episode of The Engineering Commons podcast. Since many engineering fields don’t require a license, there are few barriers to interested individuals learning and applying engineering theory. … Continue reading Episode 17 — DIY →

Is it possible to accurately perceive the world around us? Are engineers any more or less rational than the general public? Chris and Jeff discuss these issues with Jeff Ellis on this episode of The Engineering Commons. It’s challenging to accurately perceive reality from within the confines of the human mind. One approach to overcoming … Continue reading Episode 16 — Critical Thinking →

Are engineers born or made? In this episode, Chris and Jeff discuss how engineers acquire their talents. A top-notch engineer is skilled in both the theoretical and practical realms. So how are these talents acquired? Exposure to engineering operations seems to be an important component in creating an outstanding engineer. In this episode, we reference … Continue reading Episode 15 — Talent →

Chris and Jeff talk about how one might go about becoming an engineering “superstar.” Neither Jeff or Chris have been particularly successful at figuring out how to advance their careers in large organizations, so they may not be the best at describing how one moves upward through the corporate structure. A recent episode of This … Continue reading Episode 14 — Superstars →

In this episode, Chris and Jeff discuss engineers who find employment on a project-to-project basis, rather than signing on for a full time job. Our guest is Stephen Kesich, a recently graduated mechatronics engineer who is now residing in Southern California. Stephen reports that his classmates experienced difficulty finding full-time employment in their respective engineering … Continue reading Episode 13 — Free Agency →

What obligations do engineers have to others? Where do the lines of legality, morality, and ethics intersect? Chris and Jeff discuss engineering ethics in this episode. Our guest is Karl Stephan, professor of electrical engineering at Texas State University. Both Chris and Karl have enjoyed the BBQ at The Salt Lick, which Chris claims is … Continue reading Episode 12 — Ethics →

It sometimes makes sense to protect one’s creative ideas. Chris and Jeff discuss the pros and cons of getting a patent with engineer Dave Gevers. We are not attorneys, so consult with a qualified legal professional before making any decisions concerning patents or intellectual property! Our guest is Dave Gevers, who leads us through the … Continue reading Episode 11 — Patents →

Software is an important component in the toolkit of nearly every engineer. Chris and Jeff talk with Greg Wilson about how engineers and scientists can improve their programming skills. Jeff’s first programming language was Pascal. Intended to encourage good programming practices, Pascal gained wider acceptance as the basis for Borlands’s Turbo Pascal. Programming in the … Continue reading Episode 10 — Software Carpentry →