This episode centers on tools that we enjoy using, whether engineering-related or not.
Jeff is of the opinion that many engineering professors dislike teaching “tools” because software packages are constantly changing in scope and syntax, and associated teaching materials must be vigilantly updated.
Reliability is an important characteristic for a good engineering tool, according to Carmen and Adam.
Brian notes the economic foolishness of having an engineer “spin their wheels” due to a lack of quality tools.
Chip-scale packages (CSPs) are mentioned by Carmen as a new technology requiring new tools.
Brian asks about the need for traceability on tools (governed by NIST standards in the United States).
Several communication protocols are mentioned in discussion of oscilloscope features: SPI, CAN, and I2C.
We determine that Bridgeport Machines was acquired by a multinational corporation (Hardinge, Inc.) in 2004.
Adam reveals that transportation departments establish contingency contracts to ensure access to big construction equipment in emergency situations.
We discuss the pros and cons of returning to school for an advanced engineering degree in this episode of The Engineering Commons podcast.
After knocking over a beer, Brian asks about the “industry exemption” for engineers.
As a point of reference, Jeff has a PhD, an MBA, and an MS in Mechanical Engineering. Adam has a Masters in Civil Engineering, and Carmen has an MS in Electrical Engineering. Although Brian attended grad school for a while, he does not (yet) hold a graduate degree.
Pro 1: Earn more money. According to January 2015 Salary Survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the average starting salary for engineers in the US with a bachelor’s degree is $63K, while the mean starting pay for those with a Masters degree is nearly $70K. If you move on to a PhD, the starting salary increases to $88K.
Con 1: Grad school is a highly competitive environment. According to Sayre’s Law, “The politics of the university are so intense because the stakes are so low.”
Pro 2: Advance your career. You may be able to distinguish yourself from other candidates for a plum job if you have the proper credentials.
The American Society for Civil Engineering (ASCE), the National Society for Professional Engineers (NSPE), and the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) are advocating that engineers obtain education beyond a bachelor’s degree, although this position has caused some debate within the engineering community.
Con 2: You might like student life too much. If you get really comfortable with the grad school life, you may discover that you’ve become a perpetual student.
Pro 3: A higher potential for future promotion. Your graduate degree may help you move up the corporate ladder.
Pro 4: Get recognized for your professional efforts. You can become well-known in your industry or field if you uncover a new physical phenomenon or process.
Con 4: Writing a thesis. It can become a chore to organize your research into a cohesive document. Many PhD students get stuck in a state of having completed All But Dissertation.
Brian references the movie Particle Fever as illustrating how years of research effort can be quickly derailed by new experimental results.
Pro 5: Join an elite population segment. Only about 5% of practicing engineers in the US have a doctorate.
Con 5: It can take many years to finish. If you’re doing novel research, it’s impossible to know in advance how long it will take to produce meaningful results.
The Michelson-Morley experiment is the rare case of a negative outcome (disproving the presence of Luminiferous aether) that was accepted by the research community as having great value.
Pro 6: Work on ground-breaking research. Grad students sometimes find themselves performing research that has the capability to change the world.
Con 6: Grad school is expensive. Not only do you have to pay for books, tuition, and housing, but there is a large opportunity cost to attending grad school.
Pro 7: An advanced degree can open up teaching opportunities. A PhD is usually required to teach engineering at the university level, especially since US News and World Report dings institutions for using instructors without doctoral degrees.
Con 7: No guarantee that an advanced degree will result in a higher salary. If you can’t find an employer who values your skills, you’re unlikely to be highly compensated for your abilities.
Pro 8: Work with state-of-the-art tools. Grad students sometimes design and build new devices that can revolutionize old industries, or create new ones.
Con 8: You may be perceived as “too qualified.” One has to judge whether an advanced degree will be a help, or possibly a hinderance, based on the type of work they wish to perform.
Pro 9: Because you want to. Grad school is a great opportunity to expand your professional horizons if you have a passion for research and study.
Con 9: Because you don’t want to. There’s no reason you can’t find a satisfying engineering career, even if you don’t have an advanced degree.
We chat with software engineer Elecia White about embedded programming, self-driving cars, and why internet appliances must connect to the web more quickly and easily if they are to find commercial success.
Carmen is looking forward to burning images of Darth Vader or Fry from Futurama into his morning slice of toast.
Rather than looking at pre-programmed images when he butters up his toast each day, Jeff envisions reading the day’s weather forecast, or reviewing the best route to work.
Despite a multitude of promises that the Internet of Things will improve our lives, there seem to be a lot of technical and social details that have yet to be sorted out.
We continue to look for listeners willing to share their engineering stories with us. Please use the Contact page to let us know of your interest!
Our guest for this episode is software engineer Elecia White, co-founder of Logical Elegance, an embedded systems consulting company based in San Jose, California.
We determine Brian was the only co-host to play Command and Conquer, as he seems to be the only person knowledgeable about the proper use of engineers in that video game.
Although not taught as frequently in engineering universities as it once was, the Fortran programming language is still widely used for numerical analysis.
There are a variety of definitions for an embedded system. Our guest notes that an embedded system needs software (thus requiring it to include a programmable computer), but is not itself a general-purpose computing device.
Brian asks about the relative importance of being familiar with more general concepts and protocols, such as I2C and SPI, versus understanding vendor specific commands and methods.
Sam Feller’s analog clock is mentioned by Carmen as an example of a hardware product requiring a great deal of engineering effort.
Elecia’s first interview question for embedded system engineers is “Were you in the robotics club?”
While many employers want to hire “full-stack” developers that can handle all types of programming needs, our guest points out that it is virtually impossible to be equally proficient in all areas of programming.
A least one internet toaster actually exists, as it reportedly attempts to find a new home if you don’t use it frequently enough.
It is also possible to remotely determine how many eggs are in your refrigerator.
Our guest identifies the rapidly dropping cost of processing power, sensors, and radio transceivers as driving the current fascination over the “Internet of Things.”
As explained in an xkcd comic, many of our existing problems can be cured be developing yet another standard.
An Electric Imp developer was interviewed last summer in Episode 202 of The Amp Hour podcast.
Brian asks Elecia about the challenges of writing software code under the guidelines of DO-178B, “Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification.”
In a previous job, our guest worked for ShotSpotter, a company that produces a gunfire detection system.
Elecia discussed various aspects of interviewing in Episode 51 of her podcast, Embedded.fm.
This episode centers on tools that we enjoy using, whether engineering-related or not.
