Graduating Is Only Half The Job
by Larry Winlund

Engineering is: "the application of science and mathematics by which properties of matter and the sources of energy in nature are made useful to man in structures, machines, products, systems, and processes"¹. Science and mathematics may be learned theoretically through postulates and proofs but the application is learned by performing the task. It is for this reason that lecture and laboratory exercises must be taught concurrently for the student to gain the most benefit from a technical curriculum. The accumulation of knowledge, without the benefit of training in the practical application of the knowledge, causes practitioners to have false expectations about the results of their efforts.

Too often, a designer will make the leap-of-faith from a paper concept to a production product without taking the interim steps of prototyping and design validation testing. Time constraints may be one excuse for this action, but all too often it is the lack of understanding of test design and test execution. The frequent result of this action is a substandard product that leads to customer dissatisfaction. The market has been sensitized to the concepts of value, functionality and durability. An inferior product has a short life in this environment. Regardless of the discipline, testing is the ultimate proof of a design.

The phenomenon is not unique to a particular engineering discipline. It has been observed in electrical, mechanical and industrial engineering as well as business management. A very rudimentary survey of mechanical engineers was conducted at a small consumer electronics design and manufacturing company. The end products of the company are used in vehicles (automobiles, business jets and railroads). The sample group consisted of seven engineers. Each had a BSME degree and some to no industry experience. They represented the product of five schools (three attended the same school). When asked if a class in shock and vibration testing was offered at their school, four answered "yes", one answered "no" and two "did not know". When asked if they had taken the class, all seven indicated they had not. A check of the school catalogs where the class was offered reveled that the shock and vibration class was an elective and consisted of twenty- five hours of lecture/lab². This is inadequate time to teach the theory and operation of a shock and vibration system together with fixturing, test instrumentation and test design.

Through the application of engineering, useful "things" are produced. To be useful, the "thing" must perform a desirable function. The function may be static, as a book end, or dynamic, as a locomotive, but this function must be performed to the satisfaction of the end user. When an engineer sets out on a path to design a "thing", he must have a firm understanding of the forces, internal and external, that will be acting upon the "thing". These may be mechanical, chemical, electrical or a mix of any or all. These quantities are the stresses placed upon the "thing" by performing the desired function and the environment of operation and, thus, determine the endurance of the "thing".

Contemporary education appears to rely, to an increasing degree, on computer simulation and analysis rather than physical testing to validate designs. This is because computers are "high tech" and "neat". This approach seems appealing because of the increased mathematical power available with digital computers and the flood of software available to accomplish design and analysis tasks. The pitfall to this approach is that the computer, being a digital device, has finite capabilities of resolution for the generation of stimuli and the determination of reactions. Regardless of what some may profess, the world is analog with infinite resolution. Another consideration must be the accuracy of the algorithms used by the software to perform the analysis. For some applications a computer is "good enough". The truest test is with analog stimulation and response measurements. This is accomplished by using a vibration system with appropriate fixturing to couple the unit under test with the shaker table of the vibration system and exposing it to real world stresses. This will reveal weaknesses in the design or validate the design as meeting requirements.

Some feel that it is the responsibility of the schools to teach theories and it is the responsibility of industry to teach the practicals. This a disservice to the student. The student leaves school with the attitude that he/she is prepared to contribute to the wealth of society and deserves the respect of peers. The necessary tools have been acquired at school. Too often, the student realizes that the tool kit is lacking some very important items. Where can the student obtain the tools? Return to school? Have the new employer provide them? It has already been discovered that the schools do not offer the resources. Since the majority employer in this nation is small business, a majority of new graduates will, in all probability, obtain their first employment there. Small business, most likely, has neither the financial nor time resources available fill out the new engineers' tool kit. It must be the function of the schools to provide the practical knowledge necessary to being a full functioning engineer.

The schools must be approached through alumni and professional organizations with the goal of enlightening them to the fact that the teaching of the practical application of the knowledge imparted to students is essential to produce a functioning engineer. The school is the proper venue for this because the lines of communication between lecture and laboratory are short. This enhances dialog between the two sectors and promotes a synergistic relationship.

References:
1. Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, 1979
2. Oregon State University, 2000

Larry Winlund is a Senior Compliance Engineerat Rosen Products, Eugene, Oregon.
E-mail Larry Winlund at: winlund@equipment-reliability.com