Engineer Class

Lore & Background

The work of engineers forms the link between scientific discoveries and their subsequent applications to human and business needs and quality of life. Engineers develop new technological solutions. During the engineering design process, the responsibilities of the engineer may include defining problems, conducting and narrowing research, analyzing criteria, finding and analyzing solutions, and making decisions.

Reader's Guide

Engineers apply techniques of engineering analysis in testing, production, or maintenance. Analytical engineers may supervise production in factories and elsewhere, determine the causes of a process failure, and test output to maintain quality. They also estimate the time and cost required to complete projects. Supervisory engineers are responsible for major components or entire projects. Many engineers use computers to produce and analyze designs, to simulate and test how a machine, structure, or system operates, to generate specifications for parts, to monitor the quality of products, and to control the efficiency of processes.

Did You Know?

• Research suggests engineers spend 56% of their time engaged in various information behaviours, including 14% actively searching for information.
• A 2012 work sampling study found that engineers spend 62.92% of their time engaged in technical work, 40.37% in social work, and 49.66% in computer-based work.
• Engineering is an information-intensive field, with research finding that engineers spend 55.8% of their time engaged in various different information behaviors.