Name One Thing
Graphic: In the foreground of a commercial building site stands a woman in a business suit. She appears to be talking on a cellphone. She is holding a large blueprint and wearing a yellow safety hat. In the background is a man dressed in a business suit and wearing a yellow safety hat.
Let’s try an exercise called “Name One Thing!”
Graphic: A woman with a pondering look. Question marks appear over her head.
Engineers are creative and collaborative problem solvers that innovate and improve our world.
Graphic: A man and woman reviewing a blueprint. They are both wearing safety hats.
Graphic: A team of business people reviewing a blueprint.
Think about your world and innovations and improvements that you use every day.
To the best of your ability, create a list of all the items that you have used today that have been engineered.
Good job!
Now, try to identify just one thing that you used today that has NOT been engineered in some way.
Graphic: In the foreground of a commercial building site stands a woman in a business suit. She appears to be talking on a cellphone. She is holding a large blueprint and wearing a yellow safety hat. In the background is a man dressed in a business suit and wearing a yellow safety hat.
The truth is that EVERYTHING has been engineered in some way.
Graphic: A young man giving a thumbs-up. He is crouched next to a large air conditioning device and wearing a safety hat.
Air is conditioned and often purified. The processes involved were created and refined by engineers.
Graphic: A lab technician holding a vial of red liquid. They are wearing a safety mask.
Although you may not have a pacemaker, someone who you know might. Furthermore, someone you know might use some other technology or medicine to make his or her body function properly. These medicines and technologies have all been engineered.
Graphic: A red and yellow painting of brushstrokes.
Art is made from materials that are engineered such as paints, brushes, and other tools.
Graphic: Blue water flowing against a white background.
Water purification systems and pipelines are examples of how engineering has impacted one of our most valuable natural resources, water.
Graphic: A variety of fruits and vegetables ranging in colors and sizes.
Many foods are engineered, or at a minimum, the process by which the food reaches the consumer requires a lot of engineering. For example, machines, packaging, transportation, and computer grocery systems are utilized thanks to the efforts of engineers.
Our world is engineered! Everything including toothbrushes, highways, smart phones, and lifesaving medical devices depend on teams of creative and collaborative engineers. These individuals are not only making our lives easier and healthier, but also making a world of difference.
However, engineers don’t work alone! They depend on the work of scientists, mathematicians, and technologists to innovate and design. The technologies that STEM professionals work together to create are imperative for our nation to advance and our economy to improve in the 21st century. Our country depends on a workforce that is technologically literate, and scientifically and mathematically prepared to meet growing workforce demands.
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) are the core disciplines that inform our future innovations, and they are the foundation of an excellent career choice for every student.