Adnan Akay is the Lord Chair Professor and Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department at Carnegie Mellon University. His research and technical interests lie in the fields of acoustics and vibrations. Professor Akay was awarded a Ph.D. from North Carolina State University in 1976, and has been at Carnegie Mellon for 11 years. |
Chapter 10, selection: A Renaissance in the
Education of Mechanical Engineers This chapter describes some of the innovative changes
that have taken place over the last several years in mechanical engineering
education at Carnegie Mellon University. To assess these changes, I take
a retrospective look at these innovations and relate them to those that
have been taking place in the external environment and to the renewed,
deeper interest faculty have in engineering educationan interest
that centers around how students can best learn to become engineers. These
innovations, some of which are still underway, respond effectively to
the changing needs of society and the individual student. We begin with
a review of changes in the external environment and then discuss how these
changes have impacted learning and education in our Mechanical Engineering
Department. The chapter concludes with an exploration of the environment
within Carnegie Mellon that makes innovations possible and valued. Engineering education has captured the attention of many
over the last decade. This renewed emphasis stems in part from the social
and political fallout from events related to higher education in general,
including rising tuition and related costs. Engineering education in particular,
however, has attracted unsolicited recommendations and demands from industry
for changes in the way we educate engineers. The changes recommended by many in industry, academe,
and government revolve around the perceived present and future needs of
industry and society. These recommendations for the practice of engineering
over the next few decades are quite specific: an engineer will be expected
to have effective interpersonal skills, a high comfort level with new
technologies and their place in society, and the ability to anticipate
and prepare for the future needs of the workplace. Some suggest that these
much-needed attributes are those of "Renaissance" engineers.
In using this term, we posit the need for a new man in a new era. |
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Last updated 01 November 2004.