Prof. Jonathan Colton

1
The Case for Liberal Engineering

• Prof. Jonathan Colton
• Zeigler Outstanding Educator Award Lecture
• February 26, 2008

2
Jack M. Zeigler (ME 1948)

• Thanks for supporting this award and lecture.
• Mr. Jack M. Zeigler received his bachelor's
  degree in mechanical engineering after
  interrupting his education with 3½ years of
  service in the U.S. Army. While at Georgia Tech,
  he was a co-op student at two companies, where he
  worked primarily as a draftsman. In one company
  he earned 1.25 an hour this was a raise from
  0.55 per hour at the other company.
• Mr. Zeigler is the retired President and Owner of
  Fabrication Engineering Service Company, Inc.
  (FESCO). FESCO specializes in the made-to-order
  fabrication business using high quality alloy
  steels to produce tanks for the chemicals
  industry and pressure vessels for textile
  manufacturers.

3
Previous winners

• William Black
• Said Abdel-Khalik
• Farrokh Mistree
• Robert Fulton
• James Hartley
• David McDowell
• Robert Nerem

4
Acknowledgments

• My students
• Ray Vito Georgia Tech
• James Duderstadt U. Michigan
• Charles Vest MIT

5
Bully Pulpit

• Current UG engineering education is increasingly
  outmoded and irrelevant.
  
• We need a new paradigm in engineering education
  to produce future technological leaders.

6
Liberal Engineering

• Prepares students for lives that go beyond
  short-term, practical problem solving.
  
• Provides students with critical skills and
  interests in the larger problems of living in
  society.

7
The World is Flat

• Perception jobs going to India and China due to
  lower costs

8
Engineering Degree Production in Selected
Countries
Thousands
China
Japan
S Korea
USA
UK
Germany
NSF
9
Disturbing Trends

• Commoditized engineering jobs are being lost
  overseas
  
• Reduced production of US engineers
• due to lack of interest?
• due to lack of careers opportunities?

10
The World is Spiky - Patents
The Atlantic Monthly, October 2005
11
Scientific Citations
The Atlantic Monthly, October 2005
12
Where is the New Science in Corporate RD?
Science, Vol 314, 8 December 2006, 1547
13
Characteristics of Non-fungible, On-shored Jobs

• Very high value-added contributions
• Idea generators
• Define problems within the context of the local
  society

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U.S. Goals for GraduatesEducating the Engineer
of 2020

• Technically Proficient
• Broadly Educated
• Think of Themselves as Global Citizens
• Can be Leaders in Business and Public Service
• Ethically Grounded

15
GT Strategic Plan

• Georgia Tech will define the technological
  research university of the 21st century and
  educate the leaders of a technologically driven
  world.

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So, what are we doing to educate these leaders?
17

• 1 year of a combination of college level
  mathematics and basic sciences
  
• 1½ years of engineering topics, consisting of
  engineering sciences and engineering design
  
• A general education component
• A curriculum culminating in a major design
  experience

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ME Requirements

• Chemistry, Calculus, Differential Equations,
  Linear Algebra, Physics, English, Humanities,
  Social Science, Electrical Engineering, Materials
  Engineering, Ethics, Statistics, Economics,
  Engineering Economics, Computing, History,
  Wellness

19
ME Requirements

• Engineering Graphics, Computing, Dynamics,
  Design, Mechanics, DefBods, Fluids,
  Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer, Controls, Machine
  Design, Thermal Design, Experimental Methods Lab,
  Systems Lab, Manufacturing, Capstone Design

20
Educational Experience

• Over-loaded with (technical) courses
• Average time to graduate 4.5 years
• Hold-over from quarter-system
• No time to explore without delaying graduation
• Personal interests (sleep)
• Minors
• Double majors
• Junior year abroad

21
Five Minute University
Father Guido Sarducci
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vkO8x8eoU3L4
22
ME Five Minute University

• Mechanics
• Free-body diagram
• Fluids
• Bernoulli
• Thermodynamics
• Control volume
• Dynamics
• Rotation about a fixed axis

23
Technological leaders are produced in spite of
what we do

• Students somehow find the time

24
Todays Engineering Education

• 21st century students
• 20th century curriculum
• 19th century institutions
• Changes one grave at a time
• Hasnt changed much in 100 years

25
What Should We Do?
26
Nothing, things are fine

• Engineers are valuable because they know how to
  think.
  
• Set up problems
• Solve problems
• We teach students how to think.
• It works 25 of SP 500 CEOs have an UG degree
  in engineering.
  
• But, what are their advanced degrees in?

27
Things arent fine

• We cant continue to create commoditized,
  plug-and-play graduates who are easily replaced
  by lower-wage, overseas engineers.
  
• We can teach thinking in better ways.

28
New Paradigm Needed

• Liberal Engineering

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Charles William EliotProfessor at Harvard
MITPresident of Harvard

• The student in a polytechnic school has a
  practical end constantly in view.This practical
  end should never be lost sight of by student or
  teacher in a polytechnic school, and should
  seldom be thought of or alluded to in a college.
  (1869)

30
J.S. CoonProfessor of Mechanical Engineering

• It will be conceded that it is not sufficient
  for a course in engineering to turn out technical
  experts, if it can hope to do even this. But it
  must do much more it must turn out men. While
  the schedule of subjects in this course does not
  indicate it, it is the prime object to send out
  young men to engage in the commercial work of the
  world with high ideals, and a keen sense of moral
  responsibility. Good character is of more
  importance to the young engineer than engineering
  ability.

GST Catalog 1906-07
31
Charles VestPresident of MIT

• Making universities and engineering schools
  exciting, creative, adventurous, rigorous,
  demanding, and empowering milieus is more
  important than specifying curricular details.
  (2007)

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What is Liberal Engineering?

• A liberal education prepares students for lives
  that go beyond short-term, practical problem
  solving. It leaves them with critical skills and
  interests in the larger problems of living in
  society.

Source a Harvard undergraduate
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Why do we need it?

• To keep engineering relevant
• to students
• to employers
• to the world
• Responds to societal needs

34
What have others done?

• Dartmouth
• A.B. (engineering science) not accredited
• B.E. (engineering science) one more year,
  accredited
  
• Harvard
• A.B. (engineering science) not accredited
• S.B. (engineering science) accredited
• WPI
• B.A. (liberal and engineering studies)
• Not accredited

35
Open Engineering Degrees

• Cornell
• Independent Major
• Not accredited
• MIT
• Course 2A
• ABET accredited
• S.B. in Engineering

36
COE Strategic Plan

• Explore creating a new, innovative, rigorous and
  flexible bachelors degree that will serve as a
  foundation for advanced study in professions
  other than, and including, engineering.

37
Proposed Mission Shift

• Produce leaders of a technologically driven world
  by producing a liberally educated and
  technologically literate population.

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Desired Characteristics of GT Graduates

• Broad range of understanding and knowledge
• Liberal arts
• Technical arts
• Problem identification and solving skills
• Define problems within societal contexts
• Develop multiple solutions
• Decision making skills
• Leadership skills

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Desired Characteristics of GT Graduates

• Operates in global environment
• Understands engineering in a global context
• Knows foreign languages and cultures
• Prepared for career changes
• Self-learner (life-long learner)
• College is just the beginning
• Ideas person
• Symbol manipulator
• Independent thinker
• Innovative, Entrepreneurial, Commercially savvy

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Operate at Extremes

• Nano, Femto
• National, global

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Operate at Frontiers
Charles Vest
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Technologically Literate Population

• Informed decisions on technical matters
  balanced views
  
• Political
• Personal
• Business
• Examples
• Frankenfoods
• Nanotechnology

43
Educational Philosophy

• Attract larger numbers of diverse students
• Undergraduate education
• Technical literacy
• Liberal education
• Exposure
• Graduate education
• In-depth technical understanding
• Professional practice
• Life-long process
• Required for future success

44
Undergraduate Education

• Mass customization, rather than mass production
• Flexible degrees
• Accredited
• Non-accredited
• Create your own
• Multiple paths
• Multiple entry points
• Multiple graduation points
• Self-paced and self-directed

45
Flexible Curriculum

• Options
• Traditional majors
• Allow for student interests
• Explore various majors
• Create your own majors
• Easy to change majors
• Time available to explore other pursuits
• International experience
• Semester or year overseas
• Foreign language competency

46
Increase Technological Literacy

• GT attracts very smart students
• Increasing numbers are not engineering majors
• Many dont have the mathematics and science
  background needed to enter engineering
  immediately
  
• We need to attract greater numbers of students to
  technology

47
Teaching Technological Literacy

• Take in smart students
• Show the necessity for technological literacy for
  every career
  
• Teach them the material
• Preliminary material (pre-calc, basic science)
• Engineering
• Minors, such as Eng Mgt, dont address this
  issue

48
New Undergraduate Trivium

• Basic knowledge
• Engineering knowledge
• Liberal knowledge

49
Basic Knowledge

• Mathematics
• Science
• Written and oral communication
• Leadership
• Humanities
• Social Science
• Wellness?

50
Engineering Knowledge

• Common COE Core Courses
• Design
• Systems modeling and dynamics
• Mechanics and materials
• Thermodynamics and fluids
• Computing
• Etc.
• Taken early enough, ABET requirements can still
  be met

51
Liberal Knowledge

• Management
• Public Policy
• Modern Languages
• International Affairs
• Science, Technology and Society
• Economics
• Etc.

52
Implementation

• Four-hour classes
• Fewer classes
• Deeper level of understanding
• Team taught - integrated courses
• Unified, rather than specialized, fragmented,
  seemingly unrelated
  
• Experiential learning
• Engineering is observation-based and hands-on

53
Departmental Era

• Dichotomy in the Academy
• Undergraduate education
• Disciplinary
• Book learning
• Graduate education
• Trans-disciplinary
• Experiential learning

54
Post-Departmental Era

• Unity in the Academy
• Undergraduate education
• Trans-disciplinary, experiential learning
• Graduate education
• Trans-disciplinary, experiential learning

55
Quo Vadis Engineering Education?

• Recognition of need to change
• Time for evolutionary changes has passed
• What will my children do for jobs?
• Revolutionary change needed

56
Quo Vadis Undergraduate Engineering Education?

• Liberal Engineering

57
Thank you for your attention

• Questions?