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October 17, 2002
A: FROM MENTOR JACQUELYN JURGA
IN MA
If I read your question correctly, you want to know if you
use engineering
in high school. In a general sense the answer is yes. If you
are in a
math, a mechanical drawing, a science or a woodshop class
for instance, you
may be given a project to build something (maybe a cardboard
replica of a
furtuistic building or a chemical composition). You would
use your
imagination to create an idea and build from that idea a working
model to
present your thoughts. That would be engineering. There are
many kinds of
engineering so the possibilities are endless. How to prepare?
Mechanically speaking, practice putting your thoughts into
sketches, step
by step process procedures, building models of your ideas.
Being a
mechanical engineer, I tend to make a drawing of my ideas.
In great detail,
showing many views(inside and out) to make my points very
clear. In high
school I took almost every math course, mechanical drafting,
writing and
speaking, as well as art classes along with the usuals --
all which helped
me prepare. Of course I didn't know this is what I would become
back then,
but the background sure did help when I made the decision
and went on with
my education.
October 17, 2002
A: FROM MENTOR JOAN LUSK IN
RI
I don't think engineering as such is taught in many high schools,
and
they certainly don't expect that you already know it! In high
school
you will learn math (algebra, calculus) that will give you
the tools
to solve engineering problems. Geometry will hone your spacial
skills. You can also study physics and chemistry in high school.
Much of engineering is applied physics or chemistry - the
fundamental
understanding of forces, energy, molecules, materials and
so on
applied to making useful things in the the material world.
Physics
can explain why a rocket goes up or a bridge stays up, but
it's
engineers who use physics to construct the rocket or the bridge,
to
decide on the materials to use and the structures to make
- or,
lately, to make the gene that will make a useful product.
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