Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT)
ELE1106 Introduction to Electrical Engineering Lecture Session: University studies and Engineering
1. What is Engineering?
Have you been taking stuff apart for as long as you can remember? Are you fascinated by how things work? Are you very good at science and math? If so, you might make a great engineer. Engineering is one of the most popular field of study among science students. While engineering students specialise in one particular engineering field, the basic training they receive can be applied in related areas. This flexibility allows students a wide range of career options after graduation.
When someone mentions that they are an engineer, visions are conjured up of men in white shirts with black rimmed glasses and pocket protectors. While this may have been a description of a stereotypical engineer in the 1960s, the field of engineering has grown into a diverse and vibrant profession. Engineers touch almost all areas of life, from design and electronics, to agriculture and biotechnology. To put it simply, an engineer is a person who uses the tools of science and technology to create new things and to understand existing things for the benefit of mankind.
Although there are many fields within the general profession of engineering, all of the fields have some things in common. Engineers have a solid grasp on technology, the fundamental theories of mathematics, and the basic scientific rules for their specific fields. People who study engineering were often, but not always, proficient in math and science in secondary school. Engineers are often curious people, anxious to learn as much as they can about a subject of interest.
2. Branches of engineering
Worldwide, there are over 20 branches of engineering, such as aerospace, industrial, nuclear, architectural and computer engineering as a search through the IEEE database will highlight. Common engineering degrees are in the following broad disciplines that provide a strong foundation from which to further specialize:
Civil engineering is the oldest of the engineering professions, focusing on the planning, design and construction of projects such as bridges, dams, harbors and waterways, highways and railroads, buildings and mass transit systems. Civil engineering students learn how to build civilizations -- or at least the physical infrastructure of civilization, including bridges, dams, and retaining walls. They learn
how to work with the natural environment of the earth to build things that will not fall apart or damage the planet.
Chemical engineering applies principles of chemistry, physics and engineering to the design and operation of plants and processes for the production of materials that undergo chemical changes during their manufacture. Chemical engineers develop processes for producing plastics, synthetic fibers, pharmaceuticals, paper, paints and many other consumer products. Chemical engineering students learn how to use chemical reactions in beneficial ways. They create products that solve hassles for consumers and industry. They also study ways of working with chemicals to minimize danger to consumers and damage to the environment.
Electrical engineering is concerned with electrical devices, circuits and systems. Traditionally, electrical engineers have specialized in areas such as power generation and transmission, electrical machinery, electronics, communication, control and circuit design. In the past several decades, this field has expanded considerably with the development of the transistor, integrated circuits and microelectronics, the laser and the digital computer. Many electrical engineers now work in new areas such as quantum electronics (microelectronics), quantum optics (lasers) and computer engineering. Electrical engineering students become experts in electricity and how to use and control it. They learn how to create and maintain electrical devices of all kinds, from telecommunications systems to kettles.
Mechanical engineering involves machines and mechanical processes, such as energy generation and conversion. Mechanical engineers design, test and manufacture popular products, such as household appliances, heating systems, cars, ships and airplanes. Mechanical engineering students learn how to use the principles of physics to create machines that improve people's everyday lives. This is a broad field where students learn how all kinds of mechanical devices work, from blenders to cars to roller coasters for entertainment.
Other branches of engineering engage students in a variety of ways:
Aerospace engineering students train to be rocket scientists-- literally! They learn how to design spacecraft, as well as commercial aircraft, helicopters, satellites, and all kinds of machines that fly. This field is closely related to mechanical engineering.
Industrial engineering students learn how to work with businesses and other organizations to make them more productive and less wasteful. They use engineering principles to make all the parts of a system, including employees and resources, run smoothly. This is the most business-oriented field of engineering.
Structural engineering students learn how work with buildings and other structures so that they can withstand outside forces like wind, as well as their own internal weight. Structural engineering is a subfield of civil engineering.
Computer engineering students learn how to work with computer hardware and software, as well as computer-controlled devices. They learn both the technical side and the theoretical side to working with computers. This field is closely related to both electrical engineering and computer science.
Biomedical engineering students learn how to create and maintain medical devices. They work with everything from pacemakers to prosthetics, and study innovations like tissue engineering. This is a rapidly growing and cutting-edge field of engineering.
3. Engineering Employment
Engineers are employed by a wide range of companies, from small start up businesses focused on a new invention idea to large-scale companies that work on immense contracts. Engineers from different fields constantly work together to create successful products. When considering the design and manufacture of an aircraft, for example, the workforce behind the development will include:
aeronautical engineers optimizing airflow paths
analysis engineers evaluating the strength of landing gear developed by design engineers
electronics engineers developing wiring methods and pilot controls ergonomic engineers designing comfortable seating
computer engineers programming the aircraft operation systems, including everything from the autopilot system to the cabin crew call system.
Whatever engineering discipline you choose, an engineering education is recognized as an excellent preparation for a wide spectrum of career choices. Some engineers choose to work in a research setting and some work in the manufacturing sector. Others augment their education with a business background to join the ranks of management or start their own high-tech company. Moreover, engineering is an excellent base of knowledge from which students often springboard into studying business, law or medicine. This range is possible because of the breadth of subjects that an undergraduate engineering degree program provides in the areas of arts, social sciences, history, and humanities.
Aerospace Engineering includes work in the aircraft and parts and guided missile and space vehicle manufacturing industries. They design, analyze, model, simulate, and test aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, missiles, and rockets. Aerospace engineers also apply their knowledge to related fields such as automated mass transportation, bioengineering, medical systems, environmental engineering, and communications.
Architectural Engineering can be defined as a collection of disciplines related to the technical aspects of building design and construction. Students learn how to apply knowledge of mathematics and natural sciences to the development of ways to use the materials and forces of nature in the engineering design and construction of buildings and their environmental systems. Architectural engineers work in every stage of the building process from design concepts and structural integrity to building operating systems and overall functionality.
Biomedical Engineering combines engineering expertise with medical needs for the enhancement of health care. The field attracts students who have a deep concern for people as well as the sciences and technologies that might be used to help them; prefer activities that relate to machines, methods, and processes of medicine; enjoy biology, anatomy and physiology as much as math, physics and chemistry. Biomedical engineers are research facilities of educational and medical institutions.
Chemical Engineering applies the principles of chemistry and engineering to solve problems involving the production or use of chemicals. Chemical engineers use their knowledge of chemistry to discover and manufacture better plastics, paints, fuels, fibers, medicines, food and beverages, fertilizers, semiconductors, paper, and all other kinds of chemicals by carrying out chemical reactions and purifications. Chemical engineers work in a variety of settings including industry, laboratories, universities, consulting firms, engineering firms, law offices, and government agencies.
Civil Engineering is the art and science of designing the infrastructure of a modern civilized society. Civil engineers design and supervise the construction of roads, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, and water supply and sewage systems.
Computer engineering programs are geared toward the design and application of computer systems, balancing hardware and software by integrating electrical engineering hardware topics with computer science software subjects. This broad background enables the computer engineer to contribute to the design, implementation, testing, maintenance and application of computer-based systems, from tiny embedded processors to large database and network servers.
Electrical engineering is one of the broadest and largest branches of the engineering profession. It covers new rapidly growing areas such as signal processing, artificial intelligence, fiber optic communications, and microcomputers as well as traditional areas such as circuits, controls, power, electromagnetics and instrumentation. Digital phones, personal computers and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) are just a few of the high technology products that electrical engineers have developed.
Industrial engineering involves the integration of the resources of business and industry — the design of systems of materials, equipment and machines, procedures, information, energy, and people. Industrial engineering programs combine human relations with the technical knowledge needed to solve challenges in organization, process planning and evaluation, cost analysis, and quality control. Because of its high degree of interaction with people, the field tends to attract students with strong social and communication skills including those who prefer activities that involve both technical and business aspects. Mechanical engineering covers the design, development, analysis, control and testing of machines for converting energy from one form to another and for performing useful work. Students learn the fundamentals such as mechanics, thermodynamics heat transfer, electronic instrumentation and measurement, controls, and design. The field tends to attract students who enjoy activities involved with machines and other mechanical devices; can apply mathematical principles and basic principles of physics to projects; and who are able to direct projects.
Software engineering is the application of engineering concepts, techniques, and methods to the development of software systems. Software engineering is based on computer science. However, it emphasizes process, design, measurement, analysis and verification, providing a strong foundation in engineering principles and practice as applied to software development. Because of the inherently social nature of contemporary software development, communication skills and teamwork are important.
Whatever discipline or university you choose, an engineering education is something that you will draw upon throughout your life as you pursue personal and professional fulfillment. Because of the accelerated evolution of technology, it is also important for engineers to continually enhance their knowledge base through continuing education and professional courses.
4. Engineering at Makerere
Undergraduate programs in engineering at Makerere University can take four to seven years to complete, depending on normal progress or not. The first two years are generally spent studying mathematics, basic sciences, introductory engineering, humanities and social sciences. The final two years are devoted primarily to courses pertaining to students’ fields of study, incorporating more hands-on design work, use of computer technology, and multidisciplinary teaming.
Students can also gain valuable industry experience while in the second and third years of university through industrial training, giving them an edge in the competitive job market. Some engineering students decide to jump into the working world after graduation, while others choose to obtain graduate degrees to learn new technology, broaden their
education and enhance employment opportunities. In the engineering field, there is sometimes too much material to be learned in a four-year program, and therefore a master’s degree is all but a requirement in some entry-level positions.
Graduate school also gives engineering students a chance to change direction in their career path. For instance, many students are deciding to seek master’s degrees in business to gain insight into the business side of engineering. Some universities have realized this trend, and are offering dual engineering-business degrees in their curriculum. Likely the predominant reason students seek graduate degrees is for the chance to earn more money. Master’s and PhD graduates demand higher salaries, and can expect to earn 20-40% more than engineers with bachelor’s degrees.
Students who do not wish to continue their education beyond their undergraduate degrees do not have to fret; many companies continue to hire engineers without higher degrees. Starting salaries for engineers with bachelor’s degrees are significantly higher than starting salaries for bachelor’s degrees in other fields. Companies will need employees with engineering knowledge to help them increase productivity and optimise their manufacturing processes, thus creating many fruitful opportunities for engineering graduates – still more will be needed to build and improve new roads, bridges, water and pollution control systems and other public facilities.
5. What is Electrical Engineering?
Electrical engineers design, develop, and test electrical equipment. The broad field of electrical engineering involves working with all manners of electronic devices, from pocket calculators to supercomputers. Often overlapping with computer engineering, a degree in electrical engineering can open up the door to a technical career in almost any industry. Since technology is always changing and expanding, the need for electrical engineers is always growing.
Like any other kind of scientist, electrical engineers must also know how to communicate their ideas to others in their field. A successful electrical engineer possesses not only an understanding of his area of concentration, but also a broad grasp of engineering in general. This is why most electrical engineering degree programs begin with the fundamentals of engineering itself. Once the student has mastered these fundamentals, he/she can start to focus on a specialty.
Electrical engineering students learn through a combination of design and lab work. This mix of theory and practical application allows students to think things through and then apply their ideas in a variety of real life situations. Students also learn to diagnose problems and develop a variety of solutions.
Annex
Electrical Engineering 101: An Introduction to Electrical Engineers and What They Do Jul 2, 2008 Susan Kristoff
Electrical engineering is one branch of the engineering profession, and is concerned with the understanding of electricity and the development of electronic systems.
The field of electrical engineering was established at the end of the 19th century when electricity generation and telegraph systems were being developed. The field has grown to encompass the computing and electronics fields, in addition to telecommunications and power transmission.
Electrical Engineering Education
Because electrical engineering focuses on the study of electrical and electronic systems, the core courses in an electrical engineering curriculum reflect this. Most electrical engineers start their learning with basic physics and calculus courses. Later courses can include circuit and logic system design, signal analysis, and software development. An electrical engineering curriculum is usually rounded out with advanced classes that match the student's desired specialty, which may include microprocessor design, communication system design, and development of semiconductor systems, among other specialties.
Branches of Electrical Engineering
• Power – The creation, storage, and distribution of electricity for industrial, commercial, residential, or municipal use.
• Control – The design and development of electronic systems that rely on inputs to control the outputs of a system or process, such as aircraft autopilot systems.
• Electronics/Microelectronics – The design and development of electronic circuits, including analog circuits, integrated circuits, microprocessors, and other semiconductor components. • Signal Processing – The evaluation of analog or digital electronic signals, including filtering,
data analysis, signal manipulation, compression or amplification.
• Telecommunications – The design and development of voice or data transmission systems, including cable, fiber optic, or wireless systems as a transmission path.
• Instrumentation – The development of sensors or data acquisition equipment to measure the characteristics of objects or systems.
• Computers – The design and development of computer systems, from computer gaming consoles and portable data assistants (PDAs) to desktop computers and server systems. Electrical Engineering Professional Societies
The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE, spoken as “I triple E”) is the primary professional society for the electrical engineering discipline. IEEE has over 375,000 regular and student members in more than 160 countries.
Review Questions
1. What branches of engineering are available at Makerere University?
2. Provide three examples of products that are created through collaboration of at least three different types of engineers.
3. Describe five areas in which electrical engineers are of value to the Ugandan society.
4. What is the value of industrial training to engineering students?
5. Briefly explain three ways in which electrical engineers contribute to national development in Uganda.
Sources:
Guide to College Majors in Electrical Engineering,
http://www.worldwidelearn.com/online-education-guide/engineering/electrical-engineering-major.htm
Choosing an Engineering Program
http://www.science-engineering.net/america/choosing_engineering_program.htm
Choosing an Engineering Major: College Majors from From Mechanical to Electrical to Industrial
http://www.suite101.com/content/choosing-an-engineering-major-a27268
Electrical Engineering 101: An Introduction to Electrical Engineers and What They Do
http://electrical-engineering.suite101.com/article.cfm/electrical_engineering_101
Engineering 101: The Basics - An Introduction to Engineers and What They Do
http://www.suite101.com/content/engineering-101-a36738
Selecting an Engineering Program
http://www.americangraduateeducation.com/articles/en/engineering-programs.htm
