Times have changed...only a little

What image comes to mind when you think "engineer"? Probably the one below.

*Image Courtesy of the Boeing Company

Skinny tie, pocket protector, clip board, the headsets that have come back in style....

But! Times have changed. Below is are the characteristics of your modern engineering student:

• UC Davis Engineering Sweatshirt- Gotta shown them liberal arts majors who's boss. :-)
• Jeans- Always gotta be ready to work in the machine shop...
• New Balance/Boots- What's wrong with comfort and practicality?
• Nalgene/Water Bottle- Who would ever want to buy water? Plus, Nalgene is borderline hipster.
• Frizzy hair- Don't blame me.  I was working hard on my Controls homework last night.

What are other characteristics of engineering students?

How cool is that? Rapid Prototyping

I previously mentioned that was able to design and rapid prototype my Malroy part. What is rapid prototyping?

• It is a technology with places material layer-by-layer to make very intricate parts.
• Many of these parts cannot be manufactured using your everyday mill, lathe because the parts are too small or too intricate. 
• It is revolutionary, especially since computers. You can design your own trinkets, jewelry, or use something very specific for a hobby/project.
• Eg. The Malroy was a way to fit pins and clips together precisely.  I could have created a jig to put the part in, but the pieces are so small that this is hard to do. So my mentor told me to design something using Autodesk Inventor.  I did it in about 2 hours, and I had the part in my hands the next day.

Here's a video to show the cool stuff you can make!

Frankenstein

For the past year or so, I've been reading some classics that I never cared about in high school. I didn't like reading until I got to college.  Last summer, I read Frankenstein, and I thought it was so wonderful! Here's why I thought it was awesome:

Frankenstein was written during the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment is one of the best eras for us scientists and engineers, because this is when the scientific method started to evolve.  There wasn't as large of a reliance on God, and some people started to take a Deist approach on the universe.  Without a large part of the research during the Scientific Revolution, many of us would not have the iPhone that we have today.


Professor Frankenstein wanted to be the creator, not the observer.  He attempted to replicate life, and ended up making something so ugly, nobody wanted anything to do with it.

It discusses the morality behind science. Should we attempt to better human life? Or should we just let it be? There are implications to our research, even though they may not be intended.  Look at the movie I am Legend. Such a fantastic, modern day approach this.

Frankenstein goes beyond your classic horror movie. It really delves into the relationship between life and science and is a warning for us.  There is philosophy behind science, whether or not you want to believe it.