Industry and Society Expectations from Young Engineers

Prof. Jagdish H Godihal

The 15^th September is celebrated as Engineers’ day, as a floral tribute to the famous illustrious son of India Dr. Sir M. VISVESVARAYA who was both an Engineer and a Statesman. He was known for his impeccable manners, disciplined behaviour and meticulous work. His contributions to the national development in the field of Economics, Industry, Irrigation, Agriculture and Education etc. are unparalleled. Sir Visvesvaraya was an epitome of knowledge, dedicated his life to bring fruits of advanced science and technology to the doorsteps of the common man.  He was a firm believer   “there can be no salvation for the people of the country except judicious use of the technological innovations”. It is, therefore, very important today, on the occasion of engineers’ day to remember the deeds of Sir M Visvesvaraya and Practice them in daily routine to translate the vision of Sir Visvesvaraya to achieve the goal of an industrialised Indian nation based on transparent, ethically clean and responsive machinery. It is the need of the hour, we the engineering community to emulate Bharat Ratna Sir M Visvesvaraya - Legendary Engineer.

 An Engineer using tools of science and technology as well as of a number of other fields converts the resources available in nature into actual goods and services needed by the society.  As engineers contribute in solving the increasingly complex problems facing our society, there is a growing need for the engineers graduating from undergraduate programs to understand deeply the context within which they are solving problems. There is a particular need for engineers who recognise the complexities of global and societal issues and respond to those complex issues with the solutions they develop.

We have to update the curriculum frequently and it should be in accordance with the prevailing practices of industry/organization. We have to incorporate the context in the learning outcomes expected to be achieved by engineering graduates, for example the technical and professional learning outcomes will be as follows:

 

1. An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability.

2. The broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context.

Engineers must design solutions:

 

1. That addresses the needs of diverse peoples in diverse cultures in ways that are user-friendly.

 

2. That does not harm the natural environment in which we all live.

Before concluding, the most important point I would like to mention that a pressing goal of engineering education today is to find ways to draw more students at all levels into the practices of engineers. In order to do this, we need innovative assessments capable of telling us in more detail about how students approach and think about engineering concepts and problems.

Lastly I would like to conclude that Conventional methods such as standardised examinations or credit system are no longer adequate to assess fully the complex outcomes of engineering education. Instead, we need measures that examine the qualitative changes in students’ thinking process, problem solving approaches.

HAPPY ENGINEERS’ DAY