THE ENGINEER - Engineers Nova Scotia

Matthew Dugie (above) was selected by the SAC panel to be the 2011
Engineers Nova Scotia Prize winner. All of the candidates represented
their Associated University proudly and will become great engineers.
The following represents these candidates’ answers to a short answer
portion of their applications.
Question: what do you consider to be the greatest engineering
achievement in the 20th century?
answer: I believe the single largest and greatest engineering achievement
of the 20th century to be reaching outer spaces. It is hard to believe that
in 1947 the United States of America sent a space shuttle at a velocity
of 28,000 km/h into orbit, and only 19 years later landed a man on the
moon and safely returned him home. When you look at the scale of the
work required to achieve such a thing you quickly realize that it would
involve all disciplines of engineering from designing the launch pad to
the computer systems on board the space shuttle. All engineers involved
would have to show great communication skills on a daily basis, and
the pressure associated with the media would make their failure not an
option.
When you think that it was only 64 years ago that the first space shuttle
was launched it is hard to believe that they now are taking tourists into
space for weekend trips, especially after all that has happened to the
space program from deaths and budget cutbacks, to sending robots to
Mars and now even talks of sending people to Mars. At the present time
space travel is still very expensive, but over the next 60 years as we see
progress it will surely become available to a larger percentage of the
population.
Question: Discuss one of the issues which Engineers Nova Scotia should
focus on.
answer: Engineers Nova Scotia should focus on Public Outreach and
transparency of the Association. It is very important that the Association
become more involved with the public in ways other than supplying
awards and scholarships to students. It is important that a relationship
is established with the public so that it may be easier to inform the
public of the Association’s purpose and operation. The Association
should engage the public in panel discussions in which students and
professionals are the participants and the general public the audience.
A panel discussion may be hosted by and for each committee of the
Association. Consequently, various topics from different perspectives,
Matthew Dugie: Why he is the
2011 Engineers Nova Scotia
Prize Winner.
Submitted by: Christine Bonnell Eisnor, P.Eng., Chair, Student Affairs
which are important for professional practice, may be relayed to future
Professionals and the public. This is a subtle way to understand people
of different status within the Engineering community. It also allows for
public discussion and interaction with the Association. Another great way
to increase public outreach is by creating a presence for the Association in
Engineering Societies at Universities and Colleges so that the Engineering
students will have a more active role in understanding the Association, its
by-laws, values, etc. This may be done by speaking with the Engineering
Society Presidents and offering them the opportunity to host information
sessions and panel discussions at which a Professional or the CEO of
the Association will represent the Association. The Association should
also consider creating a public mailing list through which it may relay
information such as newsletters, upcoming events, application availability
and deadlines.
Question: what role does the public play in engineering design?
answer: Since most of the systems, products or services that engineers
design and implement will be for public use, any engineer must heavily
consider the impact it will have. What appears to be the most prominent
aspect in this regard is safety. First and foremost, anything that an
engineer puts his seal on must be safe if operated properly, and factor in
room for error. One cannot simply design something that will fail and be
unsafe, so factors of safety should be implemented to account for human
error.
The second major aspect is that of convenience. An engineer could
design an amazing system or product that would solve various problems,
but if it is incredibly hard to operate/use, or relatively expensive, it may
fail. A design should always factor in a measure of convenience and fall
into a learning curve; if a device is to be used for a relatively simple task,
it should not require years of training to operate. Likewise if a device will
perform complicated tasks, the time required to become familiar with it
should be minimized, while at the same time not compromising public
safety.
Question: what are the most significant emerging environmental
challenges for Engineers?
answer: Significant emerging challenges for engineers involve
understanding the lifecycle environmental effects of available resources
and encouraging sustainable development accordingly. Throughout their
lifecycle, engineering materials have the potential to cause adverse
environmental effects. Furthermore, the materials engineers manage are
diverse and continually evolving; their means of production, installation,
use, storage and destruction change as technology evolves. Engineers
must proactively work to understand the environmental risks the
materials they use pose to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in terms of
climate, air and water quality, and organism health. This knowledge must
then guide environmentally responsible decisions in their profession
practice.
The ENGINEER
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