80 INDUSTRY MATTERS
Letting our capes fly : why engineers are awesome
Because we may need to be reminded from time to time , the job of an engineer is a great one . By comparison to some of the other professions , engineering is often not seen as the ‘ cool ’ one .
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This glimpse of the future was crafted by Michelle Doolan
You don ’ t have to sit a five-year-old down and teach her the physical and psychological benefits of building forts . Chances are she has wrecked your lounge many times before . Written into the defaults of our DNA is the impulse to create — to bring something that never was into being .
Take away the plastic weapons of mass destruction from your toy box , and watch your toddler turn his peanut butter sandwich into a gun . Beach sand becomes castles ; snow days invite igloos — the world is a wonderful palette that kids just intuitively want to paint on . Essentially , an engineer is hidden inside all of us .
The question for us engineers who still hold the title is , are we still living like one ?
TV shows like LA Law and Boston Legal glamorise legal eagles battling it out in high profile court cases . ER , House , and Scrubs bring the world of medicine into our living rooms . Even Grand Designs puts architecture on a pedestal . Isn ’ t it about time that TV producers got in touch with the profession that is shaping the future world we live in like no other ?
As a discipline , it lies at the very fabric of our society , shouldering the systems and spaces that give our world its meaning . Too often the profession is associated with hard hats and tool belts , viewed as difficult and esoteric . But in reality , engineering is a far cry from ‘ restrictive ’ and ‘ routine ’. It is alive and multidimensional , unleashing the power of connected societies to unlock the impossible .
Engineering invades every domain and asks the question , how can we make this space into something fantastic ? To be an engineer is to be nothing less than the shapers and problem solvers of our collective future .
WE GET TO DO THIS Confucius said , “ Choose a job you love , and you will never have to work a day in your life .” Despite the many challenges and demands , the job of a passionate engineer should often feel like play . Edges are invitations ; and we , of all people , should welcome the thrill of stepping off the ledges of previous paradigms to see what new support systems open up beneath us .
Every day , we get to blend new technologies into the world around us . Big data helps us gain new insight into people ’ s needs , which in turn fuels new design that facilitates healthy and sustainable workflows and social interactions . All the more , we are called to create new virtual reality visions of the future , which anticipate the ‘ what ifs ’ and puts the unknowns at ease . We get to reimagine energy as we know it and tinker with a thousand unimaginable ways to address some of the single-most important issues of our day .
If we are going to remain agile and imaginative in our approach to urban co-creation and problem solving , then engineering needs to stay fun and occasionally open to failure . If we subscribe to methodologies that resist change and reward bottom line only , we will dangerously stay too neatly within the lines .
WE PEN THE STORY Whether it be a mass transit system , a power system , a water network or a building , engineers are asking the question , ‘ How will this infrastructure be relevant in the future ?’ We have the privilege to keep reshaping life into systems and spaces that breed more life . Every day we are faced with the opportunity to look at issues through new lenses and improve upon historic archetypes .
Take the example of Elon Musk , whose invention of the Tesla electric car presents itself like a lifeline to the sinking ship we call today ’ s fossil fuel-dependent automotive industry . His passion to reduce global warming has pushed open major doors in solar energy and cracked the ceiling of our paradigms — even to include outer space . Thanks to Musk ’ s SpaceX programme , some of us are now googling how to grow vegetables on Mars .
Good engineers steward safe boundaries . Great engineers push them wider to the benefit of society . Game changers such as Mark Zuckerberg have altered the stakes of social engagement worldwide through Facebook ’ s far-reaching and immediate ability to connect people around the world . IDEO is pioneering concepts around people at the centre of design and economies of circular value . And because they have a sobering understanding of the responsibility which goes hand-in-hand with crafting community , they don ’ t easily back down .
Zuckerberg has used his unique position to pledge 99 % of his lifetime Facebook shares ( worth about USD45-billion ) to “ advance human potential and promote equality in areas such as health , education , scientific research , and energy .” As ‘ impatient optimists working to reduce inequity ’, the Gates Foundation has so far given away USD35-billion to ‘ take on the really tough problems ’ of hunger , disease , and poverty . At their core , engineers are pioneers who create platforms to propel humanity upward and onward .
WE CAN CREATE IT ! Engineering is a constant exercise in diagnosis and treatment . We identify the pain points of society ; we prescribe the remedies ; and then we even get to deliver the solutions ourselves .
Through tight collaboration with government , business leaders , academic institutions , and the public at large , we can lead true change by painting wide-stroke solutions over societal problems . We carry cutting edge solutions and skills that embed the systems and smart technologies carving out our future urban ecosystems . It ’ s to everyone ’ s detriment when we fail to step up and lead .
The ERA Foundation encourages engineers “ to be proud to leave their mark … to shake off their ‘ behind the scenes ’ identities and become ambassadors who talk proudly about the full range of work and sectors they are involved in .” This is not a time for false humility ; it ’ s a time to let our capes fly . Engineering is far more than a job . It ’ s a way of seeing the world and believing we can improve upon it . The degree to which we own our superhero status in the collective story is the degree to which we all win . PA
January 2018 Volume 23 I Number 11 www . plumbingafrica . co . za