Introduction to Engineering 101

Explore the areas of engineering specialization, from mechanical engineering to mechatronics and civil engineering. See how deeper study and master’s or PhD research shape professional tracks and industry options.

Explore ABET accreditation and its role in engineering education: applying mathematics, science, and engineering; designing experiments; analyzing data; and fostering teamwork, ethics, and lifelong learning toward becoming a professional engineer.

Discover what a professional engineer (PE) is, the Abbott accredited department requirement, the eight-hour exam, and how a PE enables work on city and government projects and private industry opportunities.

Explore the differences between mechanical engineering and mechanical engineering technology, including theory-focused preparation for higher education and industry-ready skills with software like MATLAB, LabVIEW, and Mathematica.

Explore engineering types, including civil, mechanical, electrical, industrial, chemical, electronics, and biomedical, noting that future fields like astronomical engineering may emerge to meet market and community needs.

Explore engineering student traits—logical thinking, drawing conclusions, curiosity, and a drive to solve daily problems—alongside the scope of engineering sciences, specialties, and market demand.

Identify and explain the key steps in the design process, and apply it to open-ended problems while understanding the customer’s crucial role and collaborative, brick-by-brick progress.

Apply the design process as the foundation of engineering to tackle complex societal problems, from ink leaks in pens to polluted water, and learn how to solve them.

Confront complex problems with a global team of engineers, researchers, and government partners, coordinating across disciplines to study climate trends and water levels, guiding safe public safety oriented solutions.

Define the problem and collect data to understand the issue, then develop and compare solutions under constraints, select a preferred approach, and document the results for engineers.

Explore the structured design process—from defining the problem and collecting data to applying constraints, evaluating alternatives, and delivering informed conclusions, illustrated by transferring metal from building A to building B.

Explore a six-step design process for future products, from recognizing and defining problems to data collection, concept development, and optimization, with a focus on customer needs and meeting market constraints.

Explore design optimization in engineering, balancing size, cost, durability, and ease of use. Learn to analyze and refine initial designs through simulations, calculations, testing, and iterative evaluation.

Engineers apply the product design process to a problem. They build an app connecting young workers with older adults for yard work, guided by gym motivation and data collection.

Explore how engineers and customers collaborate to balance basic requirements, performance, and optional innovations to maximize satisfaction, communicate design changes, and deliver beyond expectations.

Explore design opportunities and future challenges in energy, environment, and infrastructure, from improving solar power efficiency and cleaner emissions to advancing water distribution and waste disposal.

Recognize the importance of engineering problem analysis and the engineering method, apply the design process steps, the accumulated knowledge and experience, and develop guidelines to solve problems logically and efficiently.

Combine art and science to master problem analysis, from concept art and sketches to CAD design, rendering in SOLIDWORKS, and rigorous road testing of the final machine.

Explore how a manufacturing engineer and a logistics specialist assess profitability for a cad-focused pc by calculating assembly and distribution costs using engineering economy concepts.

Explore the art of problem solving in engineering, including root cause analysis, DRBFM, and FMEA, and learn to apply the engineering method with time-resource balance and validated solutions.

Apply the engineering method to solve real-world problems by understanding the problem, collecting data, selecting theories, making reasonable assumptions, solving, and verifying results, guided by engineering common sense.

Present the problem to the right audience using the engineering method, with a clear problem statement, diagrams, and theory. Document solution steps, results, and verification in a professional, investor-ready format.

Learn how to recognize, collect, plot, and interpret technical data for engineering audiences, and develop graphical presentation skills to communicate findings clearly via PowerPoint and PDF reports.

Analyze how altitude, temperature, and pressure data are collected and plotted, emphasizing units, abbreviations, and legends. Learn to transfer manual measurements to a computer using graphs and Excel.

explore how plotting and visualization reveal trends using a bicycle sales example with x and y axes. learn to compare software like excel, matlab, mathematica, mathcad, power bi, and tableau.

Choose the graph paper and set axes with correct parameters, units, and scale; plot data points, check outliers, add a legend and title, and ensure readability and graph types.

Plot time versus distance data to identify a power curve, y = b x^m, and estimate b and m using log-log plots and curve fitting.

Explore exponential curves and semi-log plots to transform data into a straight line using ln y = m x + ln b, deriving fc = b e^{mV}.

Explain how engineers measure and estimate with manual tools, perform numerical calculations on measured quantities, identify significant digits, and distinguish accuracy from precision in design and testing.

Learn the difference between accuracy and precision, with examples showing when measurements are accurate, precise, or both, and how repeatability relates to engineering targets.

Master significant digits by distinguishing exact and approximate numbers, applying rounding rules, and understanding measurement precision, scientific notation, and related unit prefixes in engineering calculations.

Explore how engineers quantify uncertainty by distinguishing systematic and random errors, calibrating sensors, and making acceptable estimates, illustrated with a Boeing 787 fuel-per-mile calculation.

Identify a physical quantity by its value and unit, and distinguish fundamental from derived dimensions. Learn how length and time are fundamental, while velocity is derived.

Apply F = m a and explore SI units, distinguishing derived units like the newton and joule from fundamental ones, with an example using 100 kg and 9.807 m/s^2.