20. Agricultural Engineering

What is it all about?

Agricultural engineering is closely related to environmental engineering, although it is focused more specifically on the field of agriculture as part of the environmental concern. Advanced degrees in agricultural engineering can prepare students to assume leadership roles within the private, non-profit, or civic sectors that find solutions to improve and eliminate problems and issues related to the agricultural field. Frequently people in the agricultural engineering field seek to improve products by finding renewable bio-resources to substitute or improve traditional products. Agricultural engineers also may be involved in efforts to find conservation methods that will protect the planet and preserve it for the future of agriculture and humanity. Related fields include: agricultural economics , agricultural education , agricultural sciences , agronomy , botany , economics , economic development , ecology , engineering management , environmental management , horticulture , plant pathology , and plant physiology. 

A large percentage of agricultural engineers work in academia or for government agencies such as the United States Department of Agriculture or state agricultural extension services. Many are employed by manufacturers of agricultural machinery and equipment. Agricultural engineers work in production, sales, management, research and development, or applied science.

Is Agricultural Engineering right for you?

Are you a problem solver? Do you have a propensity to come up with innovative ideas? Does mathematics come easy to you? Do you like to understand how things work and how they are manufactured? Are you interested in the environment? Would you like to help provide safe food for current and future generations? Are you interested in the biological sciences? Do you have an interest in agriculture? If so, you should consider the Agricultural Engineering major as you plan for your graduate studies.

The future of agriculture depends on the next generation of problem solvers. Creative and skilled individuals, like you, can use their knowledge of agriculture and life sciences, along with the problem-solving skills of engineering, to create new systems and solutions for the 21st Century.  Agriculture is changing faster than any time in history. That’s why, if you are interested in helping forment the future of agriculture, a degree in agricultural engineering is what you need.

Agricultural engineering is a very diverse engineering major.  Students who consider this major typically don’t picture themselves just working behind a desk solving problems; they are people who like hands-on problem solving and design implementation. They like to work in teams to solve societal problems related to agriculture. Agricultural engineers solve problems related to agricultural equipment, water quality and water management, biological products, livestock facilities, food processing, and many other agricultural areas.

What kind of jobs can I get after college?

An Agricultural Engineering degree is a valuable resource when it comes to starting your career.  Agricultural engineers design and develop new processes, systems, and products. The job opportunities are plentiful and diverse to say the least.

Currently, the demand for Agricultural Engineer’s is at an all time high. Leading agricultural firms, government services, and consulting agencies seek after graduates. An Agricultural Engineering degree will open doors around the world in large corporations and small businesses, including careers in water quality, food processing, environmental systems, structural design, erosion control, materials handling, agricultural power and equipment design and more.

Graduates in this well-respected program are employed for the purpose of

• designing and managing food production systems
• protecting surface and ground water quality
• designing natural resource management systems
• developing and managing bio-processing systems
• designing off-road vehicles and agricultural equipment
• designing animal production facilities and environmental control systems

Expectations:

Expectations from future graduates include the ability to (1) enhancing the vitality and productivity of farms and farmers, (2) emphasis on safety, (3) concern for ecology and the environment, and (4) innovative ideas. Interdisciplinary activities and working relationships, as opposed to the specialized approach influenced by government funding for university research, will require a different educational base for agricultural engineers. Changes in farming and agricultural engineering will involve: (1) shifting market patterns, utilizing technological advances in selling, (2) linking computers to manufacturing, (3) an emphasis on safety designs responsive to human needs and accident reduction, and (4) an awareness of social attitudes and politics. Action programs are necessary for developing new management skills, providing a balanced education, and bringing about needed innovation.

Some good courses in agricultural engineering can be found at:

North Carolina State University
Iowa State University
Arkansas State University
University of Wisconsin – Madison
University of California – Davis
Ohio State University
Mississippi State University
Michigan State University
University of Minnesota
Harper Adams University
IIT – Kharagpur
College of Agricultural Engineering (Baptala, Coimbatore, Pusa, Jabalpur, Prabhani)

Source: multiple

Suggested reading (links): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricultural_engineering 

19. Environmental Engineering

Since the days of Henry David Thoreau, environmentalism has been a noble field, exalting the land and water that our society too casually pollutes and disregards. Engineers who enter the environmental field can expect a work day that brings them in close contact with the earth—taking soil samples and testing air quality are two common assignments.

If you’re interested in getting your hands dirty, however, don’t expect to be romping through bogs everyday. Communication skills place high, as in any discipline. Writing ability assures that a professional can translate what’s learned in the field into concise, readable reports; verbal skills allow effective team coordination.

And the nature of environmental work dictates a team platform. The industry draws on many disciplines to clean toxic sites or to perform city planning—all within the purview of government regulations. Because of that, numerous people, each able to focus on a specific concern, are called upon to contribute. “Environmental engineering applies so many basic sciences—chemistry, biology, geology,” says Jeanne Riley, a project engineer with Camp Dresser & McKee environmental consultants. “We work with all kinds of sub-contractors who have specialized skills, like lead or asbestos removal. We also work with drilling companies and labs. There’s a lot of coordination of other parties who are involved in a project.”

Environmental engineering is a growing profession, with excellent job opportunities in the foreseeable future. Career opportunities include consulting firms, industries, private and municipal agencies, local, state and federal government, international agencies, research institutions and universities. The point to undestand is that the future for an environmental engineer is in research and analysis, be it a government agency or a research laboratory! 

Moving on…..a research paper from canada goes on to add, 

On a global basis, environmental engineering is one of the fastest-growing engineering disciplines. Internationally, estimates put the future growth rate in terms of investment at somewhere between 12 and 15% annually, and perhaps even higher, as many third world countries continue to improve their internal standard of living through better food production, both light and heavy industrialization, exports of goods and services, and general economic growth (OECD 1996). In a state-of the industry report by F. Berkowitz and Company (1999), the estimated 1998 worldwide market in water quality systems was $330 billion (CDN). This was distributed among water supply (37%), wastewater (34%), construction (13%), equipment and chemicals (9%), and consumer goods (7%). Add to this the markets related to air quality, solid waste, and remediation, and the annual total worldwide market exceeds three-quarters of a trillion dollars (CDN) per year. In the future, heavily populated countries, such as India and the People’s Republic of China, as well as many former Eastern Block countries and rapidly developing regions such as Central and South America will continue to diversify their economies and raise their internal economic well-being.As such, the general population will continue to demand significant improvements, from their governments, in the health of the environment. This will range from providing safer and more reliable drinking water to cleanup of contaminated industrial properties and landfill sites to improving air quality. In view of these issues, the demand for properly trained and skilled environmental engineers and scientists will continue to grow for at least another full generation (T.Keinath, Department of Environmental Systems Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C., 1998, personal communication),

Future Direction

A challenging aspect of environmental engineering is the rapid changes in the field due to the rate of knowledge increase in the fields of science and health. Accordingly, environmental engineers must understand the fundamental change to sustainable management and the legal, social, and political components related to it, but we also have a broad and expanding list of measurement and monitoring tools, new processes and technologies, and the need to examine complex inter-related systems. Perhaps more than any other engineering discipline, environmental engineering has developed into an extremely complex and multi-disciplinary profession, incorporating professionals with a variety of backgrounds. From its early roots in public health engineering, this profession has continued to define and redefine itself over the last 125 years or so.

Some good courses in Environmental Engineering are at:

Stanford University
University of California–Berkeley
University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign
University of Texas–Austin
Johns Hopkins University (Whiting)
Georgia Institute of Technology
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
California Institute of Technology
Carnegie Mellon University
University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cornell University
University of California–Davis
Virginia Tech
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Purdue University–West Lafayette
University of Iowa
University of Washington
Northwestern University (McCormick)
Pennsylvania State University–University Park
Duke University
Princeton University
University of Colorado–Boulder
Yale University
Arizona State University (Fulton)
Clarkson University
Clemson University
Michigan Technological University
Rice University (Brown)
University of Arizona
University of Cincinnati
University of Florida
Colorado School of Mines
Colorado State University
Harvard University
IISc – Bangalore 
Delhi College of Engineering
School of Environmental Studies, JNU – New Delhi

Source: multiple

Suggested reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_engineering

18. Electrical Engineering

Introduction

Graduates from all the fields of Electronic Engineering are valuable to all kinds of industrial and public-sector employers. The combination of advanced numeracy, skill with computers and experience in teamwork and problem solving makes our graduates highly employable.

Graduates in Electronic Engineering can work in many different areas, from automotive electronics to computer games hardware design and from government research laboratories to consumer electronics manufacturers.

In addition to the main stream careers for engineering graduates, their mathematical modelling ability combined with problem-solving and project management skills makes them attractive to a much wider range of employers. A particular growth area for electronic engineers at present is in “financial engineering” – applying the techniques of digital signal processing to option pricing and utility trading. 

Before Silicon Valley, before the Internet, before the computer, there were electrical engineers—engineers who researched and developed all things electrical and electronic. There was no question about who they were or what they did. If it had to do with electricity or electronics, electrical engineers probably had something to do with it.

But with the explosion of the high-tech industry, the definition of what it means to be an “electrical engineer” has expanded. Today’s electrical engineer could be working for a law firm in Boston, a bank on Wall Street, or a manufacturing plant in Texas or California.

And the growth of this field shows no signs of slowing. Despite the economic downturn at the turn of the century, electrical engineers continue to be in great demand. With computers, networking and systems playing key roles in the operations of virtually all businesses today, electrical engineers can plan on being diligently pursued for years to come.

“All companies are looking for electrical and computer engineers,” says Nancy Evans, director of the Engineering Career Assistance Center for the College of Engineering at University of Texas, Austin. “It doesn’t matter what your business is.“

The Rise of the Computer
In the future not only will it be harder to distinguish electrical engineering from its counterparts namely electronics and computer science, it will also be harder to limit electrical engineering majors to careers in the industry. “As the high-tech industry becomes more entrenched in the U.S. economy, you’re going to see people with skills that are a part of that industry become more popular in non-technical-related firms,” says Mark Albertson, the American Electronics Association (AEA)’s senior vice president for California and the Western United States.

Electrical engineering students who have passed through MIT illustrate just that, says Anne Hunter, administrator of undergraduate and master’s of engineering programs in electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, adding that about 25% of MIT electrical engineering graduates head for Wall Street each year, going to companies like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, Deutsche Bank and others.

“They are going to New York City to work in investment banking, mergers and acquisitions, Wall Street trading, things like that,” she says. “Not as technical support but for those companies’ main lines of business”.

“They have these quantitative problem-solving skills that are quite adaptable,” Hunter adds.

Jim Kirtley, director, vice president and chief scientist of SatCon Technology Corporation in Cambridge, Mass., and professor of electrical engineering at MIT, agrees. “It is becoming difficult to [hire] good engineers coming out of universities,” Kirtley says. “Wall Street is exerting a very strong pull on graduates with quantitative skills.”

But, Hunter says, Wall Street is not the only place trying to snag the top electrical engineers. “We send a lot of students on for Ph.D.s, to med school and to law school,” she says.

“I see engineering becoming more of a gateway to other professional schools,” forecasts Linda Katehi, associate dean for academic affairs and a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Referring to the movement toward a more well-rounded education for engineers that is sweeping the nation right now, Katehi says that although it “limits our capability of including more technology courses [in our engineering program], it gives us an opportunity to develop a degree that is broader.”

This means, “people can go into law with engineering, they can go to medical school with engineering, they can go to business school with engineering,” she says.

Sharpen Those Skills
Your quantitative skills will help, but what else is going to help you land the job of your dreams?

Knowing how to work in global groups, according to Katehi. “[Graduates] will need to understand how to work in global groups,” she says. “Electrical engineers will get together to design something, but that doesn’t mean the whole group will be in the same place.“

Jim Lucy, chief editor of both CEE News and Electrical Wholesaling, also hints at the idea of global project collaboration. “In the future, [electrical engineers] will be getting a lot more of their information from the Internet, whether they’re just doing research or collaborating on projects with people out in the field.

“Computers are an everyday part of the workplace and it’s just going to get more and more so,” Lucy adds. “[Electrical engineers] will be tracking a particular product they may have designed with the people out in the field, and it will all be conducted using PalmPilots. They will have a lot more instantaneous communication via computer. They will send their designs electronically.

And the Internet will continue to increase in value and convenience for engineering students seeking advanced degrees.

“About half of the students enrolled in our master’s-level courses are in industry, taking classes over video or online,” says Bruce Wooley, chairman of the Department of Electrical Engineering and a professor of electrical engineering at Berkeley, adding that although such classes have been around for over 40 years, only recently have they been implemented online.

Katehi, too, recognizes the role computer technology and the Internet will play in the education of electrical engineers in the future. “People will be able to do virtual experiments over the Web,” she says. “Graphics and visualization are changing the field drastically.” In addition to improving your collaborative skills and becoming technically savvy, Katehi stresses the importance of knowing the basics. “The average right now is for an electrical engineer to have seven different jobs throughout his or her career,” she says. “They need to have enough background to be able to change topics multiple times.”

John Steadman, vice president for career activities on the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers’ (IEEE) USA Board of Directors, is quick to agree. He believes “students should pay as much attention as they can to electronic fundamental concepts.” This, he says, will help them keep up with ongoing trends and allow them the flexibility of career changes.

But there is more to success than having those technical skills down pat. Students should be well-rounded, says Albertson. “Given the competitive nature of the high-tech industry, any graduates that have solid business skills in addition to good technical skills will probably do better than most.

“While diversification is still important and companies do look for specialty technical skills, having a broad base of knowledge will give candidates a more significant edge in the future,” he adds.

Where’s the Action?
Electrical engineering covers a wide range of areas in the high-tech sector. “A lot of the areas which are coming up [require a knowledge of] other fields,” Katehi says, referring to the more interdisciplinary shape electrical engineering will take in the future.

Take for example, biomedical engineering. Bruce Wooley, chairman of the Department of Electrical Engineering and a professor of electrical engineering at Berkeley, hints at the possibilities that lie before electrical engineers in biology, trying to understand the body as a system. “The core of electrical engineering is the ability to process signals and information,” he says. “Extending that signal processing into other domains will be characteristic [of the future].”

Another example is nanotechnology, manipulating and replicating materials on a molecular scale, which requires the pooled resources of chemical and electrical engineers.

And there will be plenty of opportunities and expansion in electrical engineering itself. Wireless continues to be a buzzword for the telecommunications industry, and with optical networks stretching across the country and around the world, the industry shows little sign of slowing.

“We’re seeing a situation beginning to develop now where many of the large, established high-tech firms are building important market niches in the telecommunications area,” Albertson says. “That is going to be a very important growth trend as we move more into this decade.“

Many expect optics (the use of thin strands of glass to carry information by lasers) and photonics (capturing photonic energy to transmit information by light), both important facets of telecommunications technology, to thrive in the years to come.

Says Steadman, who is also head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Wyoming, “We will hopefully see the development of true optical switching and optical repeating, so that bandwidths can be maintained over larger distances and with large networks.“

Job Hunting
As good as the job market is for electrical engineers, don’t expect jobs to materialize out of nowhere. Hiring is down nationwide, which means everyone—even the electrical engineer—is feeling the heat.

For example, in early August Lucent Technologies announced it would cut about 15,000 jobs, bringing its employment numbers down from 155,000 a year ago, to about 60,000. ADC Telecommunications Inc. has cut almost 10,000 jobs and Global Crossing Ltd. has cut about 2,000-15% of its work force. But it should be asserted that the situation has improved a tad in the last few years. Though  the recent recessionary fears are hurting the prospects again!

While Albertson admits that hiring has not been as robust and unemployment will probably rise, he says, “Companies are still hiring for key technical positions—that’s necessary no matter what the economy is like because the strength of a company’s future is in its innovative technology products.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts a 26% growth rate in the number of electrical and electronic engineers employed in high-tech occupations from 1998 to 2008.

Some good courses in electrical/electronics/communications engineering are at:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Stanford University 
University of California–Berkeley
University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign
California Institute of Technology
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
Georgia Institute of Technology
Cornell University
Carnegie Mellon University
Princeton University
Purdue University–West Lafayette
University of Texas–Austin
University of California–Los Angeles (Samueli)
University of Southern California (Viterbi)
University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Maryland–College Park (Clark)
University of California–San Diego (Jacobs)
Rice University (Brown)
University of California–Santa Barbara
University of Washington
Pennsylvania State University–University Park
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Texas A&M University–College Station (Look)
University of Minnesota–Twin Cities
Virginia Tech
Arizona State University (Fulton)
Columbia University (Fu Foundation)
Johns Hopkins University (Whiting)
North Carolina State University
Ohio State University
Harvard University
Northwestern University (McCormick)
University of Florida
University of Pennsylvania
Brown University
Duke University
University of Arizona
University of Virginia
Yale University
University of California–Davis
University of Colorado–Boulder
Washington University in St. Louis (Sever)
Boston University
Bangor University
University of Bath
University of Manchester
University of Toronto
IIT Powai
IIT Chennai
IIT Delhi

Source: http://www.graduatingengineer.com/

Suggested reading (links): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_engineering

17. Transportation Engineering

Transportation engineers design streets, highways, and other transit systems that allow people and goods to move safely and efficiently. For example, before constructing a new sports stadium, city officials rely on transportation engineers to plan traffic patterns that will prevent major tie-ups after the game.

Transportation engineering and management provides a fairly specialized cross section of a couple other major areas. The field of civil engineering typically deals with a variety of issues, and transportation engineering is drilling down through those general categories to deal specifically with issues of getting people and goods from one place to another in the safest, most efficient way possible. Transportation management also tends to overlap with such fields as urban planning or urban design . Students in transportation engineering and management typically need to understand the variety of interrelated factors that are going to affect and be affected by their work. There are a number of other related technology and engineering fields that may be of interest to students looking for a broader view of the issues related to transportation. The importance of transportation engineering for the future cannot be dismissed as there is an increasing desire to transport people and goods with a speed corresponding to the world’s ’shrinking’ size as the global mindset expands.

This particular specialization has been gaining momentum in the recent years to cope with the ever-increasing load on the road and other transportation systems. De-congestion is the primary motive of today’s engineers and this is a specialization stemming out of Civil engineering. In India, there are a few courses under civil engineering however, the macro and micro transportation problems are still solved by the civil engineers.  

For more information and trends, visit the following website

SAE , US Dept. of Transportation

Some good courses can be found at:

Georgia Institute Of Technology 
Purdue University
Cornell University 
University of Maryland
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
University of Michigan
Illinois Institute of Technology
George Mason University
New York University
University of Denver
University of Arkansas
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Arizona State University
San Jose State University

Suggested reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_engineering

16. Ocean Engineering

Ocean engineers design the ships, submersibles and submarines that are used in exploring the ocean. They also design stationary platforms for drilling or mining and technology for harnessing energy from the ocean.

Some new areas with scope for fundamental research include:

Wave Energy: To produce power, the motion of waves, tides and currents are used to drive turbine generators similar to those found in hydropower plants.

Navigation, research and defence: Mine Detection, Mine Avoidance, Diver Management, Obstacle Avoidance for Submarines, Dredge Surveys, Pipeline Installation & Burial, Fisheries Research, Shallow Water Research, Marine Mammal Research.

Offshore structure which include the likes of flood prevention, drilling rigs and offshore bridges (segmental like 7 mile in florida).

Coastal engineering has become an increasingly important part of ocean engineering. With more and more people living or working at or near the world’s coasts, problems associated with coastal development, such as pollution and waste disposal, will require the expertise and innovation of coastal engineers.

Thermal Energy: On an average day, 23 million square miles of tropical seas absorb an amount of solar radiation equal in heat content to about 250 billion barrels of oil. If less than one tenth of one percent of this stored solar energy could be converted into electric power, it would supply more than 20 times the total amount of electricity consumed in the United States on any given day. one-

Other areas: Sonar technology including active sonar technologies, corrosion resistance, underwater acoustics,  ROV technologies, underwater habitats, personal and military submersibles (luxury subs), underwater (or partial) homes, new rig designs, ship and submarine design.

Future: The oil industry, military, and marine navigation fields require ocean engineering skills, and each of these sectors directly impacts our lifestyle in some way, be it a source of energy, transportation, or our nation’s defense.

From a US Navy Captain (ME from TAMU)…….

I am a captain in the US Navy and serve as director of the Navy Ocean Facilities Program, located at Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Washington Navy Yard, DC. My command includes about 500 Navy officers and enlisted personnel as well as civilians and contractors, and we are responsible for the Navy’s waterfront, underwater construction, and all fixed ocean and seafloor systems. These facilities are worth over $9 billion. We build and maintain waterfront structures (piers, wharves, etc.), but we also build things on the ocean bottom. To do that, we invent and discover new ways to work deep in the ocean (ROV’s, AUV’s, new materials that will last longer in the ocean environment, new procedures to minimize a divers exposure, better ways to anchor and fasten things on the ocean bottom, new ways to locate items on or beneath the seafloor, etc.). This takes teams of all disciplines (marine geologists, marine chemists, hydrodynamicists, marine biologists and a bunch of very skilled technicians). Before this tour, I have had many other jobs that gave me the training and background to be the senior Navy Ocean Engineer. I did a tour of duty with the Naval Medical Research Institute at Bethesda, MD. My job there was to maintain an extreme hyperbaric facility so we could simulate diving to depths of over 1000 feet of seawater (fsw). We studied the effects of temperature on divers, how the immense pressure at 1000fsw affects the human body, and how to better work at those depths. We developed new breathing apparatus for divers and created new and improved dive tables. I did a tour with the Naval Sea Systems Command, where I helped to develop new tools for divers to use (ROV’s, hydraulic tools, hand tools, etc.). The focus was on ship maintenance and repair — to be able to do more and more in the water so that we could avoid having to bring a ship into dry-dock. I also did three tours at Port Hueneme, CA. One was with the Naval Construction Training Command, where we teach enlisted personnel how to inspect, maintain, repair and construct waterfront and fixed ocean facilities world wide. Another was with the Underwater Construction Teams, combat units that provide waterfront and underwater construction. We traveled all over the Pacific and the world, performing contingency (wartime) construction, humanitarian assistance (earthquake relief), and civil actions (building channels to remote islands so the island natives could get their fishing boats out during low tide). We also went to the Arctic, where we established a camp and performed diving operations under the ice cap. In almost all our jobs, we used very sophisticated bathymetric and hydrographic equipment to study the water column and seafloor. The other tour was with the Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center, which is our research and technology center of expertise for ocean engineering. It is there that the next generation of bathymetric, hydrographic and geotechnical tools, equipment and procedures are developed, tested and then issued to the Navy and the commercial sector for use. I have also completed the Navy’s Deep Sea Diving School and undergone advance training in saturation diving (staying within a hyperbaric environment for days and weeks at a time). I have had training in tactics for land warfare in support of the Navy’s expeditionary construction force (Seabees). Further, I have demonstrated competency in the knowledge, handling, running and maneuvering of naval ships, in peacetime and within a tactical environment. I have also jumped out of perfectly good airplanes and completed the training and performed the required jumps for free fall parachuting. With all these tours and my training, and a lifetime in or on the water, I have over 250,000 minutes of bottom time diving all over the world, in depths to 1000fsw. And each time I enter the water it is like the first I am full of awe and wonderment of how magnificent the ocean is. It is the best place in the world to have an office and a job as it is always changing, always challenging and always rewarding. Sources: http://www.whoi.edu/

Some good courses in Ocean Engineering are at:

MIT
Texas A&M University, College Station
US Naval Academy, Annapolis
University of Rhode Island
University of Delaware
Australian Maritime College
National nstitute of Oceanography, India

more information: http://oceanengineering.blogspot.com/

Suggested reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_engineering

Source: multiple

15. Textile Engineering

Where others see a dying industry, textile students see exciting opportunities brought about by technology. They stress that textiles are more than just clothing: Companies are developing fabrics stronger than Kevlar, which is used in body armor and bulletproof vests. Others are improving medical uses of textiles, such as composite materials used in artificial hearts and replacement joints.

Even on the clothing side, technology is driving changes such as faster looms, water-free dyeing techniques and new fabrics, such as artificial leathers and imitation denim.

On the front line of this new technology are Carolinas schools such as N.C. State and Clemson University. There, undergraduate students are being schooled in high-tech processes that, some say, are vital to preserving a domestic industry that still accounts for tens of thousands of jobs in the Carolinas and Georgia. Today’s students will be tomorrow’s textile leaders, they say. Though it is true that there have been huge job shifts over the last few decades from the developed nations to the developing economies, technology should help USA regain the lost edge. At the same time the dearth of good research in India might lead to the fall of this once fine course. So the need of the hour is to bring in new technology into the country and try and curb the rapid wealth erosion of big textile units in India. Increased focus on technology and exports should be the way for Indians 

“You’ve got to have new people with new ideas and new skills if you’re going to survive and compete,” said Blan Godfrey, dean of N.C. State’s College of Textiles. “You’re not going to make cheap white towels. There’s somebody else who can do it (overseas) with 20-cent-an-hour labor.”

Changes in the industry

Even those most optimistic about the industry’s prospects acknowledge that the past few years have been rough.

Mills have shut down, and companies have folded. Others are struggling financially.

In the past five years, employment in textiles in the Carolinas has shrunk by 77,000 jobs, or nearly one-third, according to figures from the employment security commissions in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Last month, Greensboro-based Burlington Industries Inc. – once the world’s largest textile company – filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Kannapolis-based Pillowtex, one of the nation’s top home-furnishings makers, filed for Chapter 11 protection last year.

Those two and other large textile companies in the Carolinas – including VF Corp., Unifi Inc., Guilford Mills and Cone Mills Corp. – have announced hundreds of layoffs in recent months.

Industry officials blame many factors. Free trade with Mexico and other countries has made cheap labor abroad appealing. New, automated machines eliminate the need for certain workers. The success of discount retailers such as Wal-Mart has suppressed prices.

While confident in the industry’s long-term outlook, some students admit that recent cutbacks are unsettling.

“It’s become more touchy lately, especially hearing a big company like Burlington declaring bankruptcy,” said Tim Cherry, an N.C. State senior from Gastonia (now passed out).

Still, those in the industry say there are plenty of quiet success stories. The media, they say, have done a poor job of spreading the good news.

They point to companies such as 3Tex Inc. in Cary, near Raleigh, which makes super-strong fabrics and composites using a three-dimensional loom, and to Polymer Group Inc., based in North Charleston, S.C., which is the world’s third-largest producer of engineered fabrics, known as nonwovens.

Even old-time textile companies say they’ll continue to prosper.

“There are companies that are doing well that are going to remain leaders in their industry,” said Reid Baker, human resources director with Parkdale Mills Inc. in Gastonia, which hires about a half-dozen recent college graduates a year. “Certainly a student should not be discouraged because of the press or the economic situation.”

Textile college recruiters say the recent layoffs have made recruiting more difficult, because parents especially are wary of their children entering dead-end careers. But the layoffs, they stress, are mostly mill workers – not the high-tech or managerial spots for which college students prepare.

Classes for the future

N.C. State’s College of Textiles, home to 850 undergraduates, has the traditional textile machines in its basement. But now, students are learning to use looms and other equipment with an eye toward futuristic-sounding products.

In a textile engineering design class one afternoon last month, about 50 students heard Professor Tim Clapp stress that products must look appealing and be easy to use – not just functional, as engineers prefer.

Groups of students then listed products they’re designing for a class project: a sleep suit for babies that monitors breathing, to head off sudden infant death syndrome; a knee brace for athletes that measures the knee’s angle, to speed recovery from injuries; a garment that measures pressure for the bedridden, to prevent bedsores.

In a studio on the other side of the building, students design sundresses and other garments with the help of a three-dimensional body scanner, which transmits instant body measurements to a computer.

“These are all things we wouldn’t do very many years ago,” said Traci May-Plumlee, a textile design professor, as she explained the uses of a laser printer-like machine that makes prototype designs on fabric.

Graduate students and professors are pioneering research that could transform the industry. Last year, the College of Textiles spent more than $10 million on research – more than twice as much as 10 years ago, largely because of closer relationships with businesses.

One professor is studying how to make fibers from crushed crab shells or from the slime of hagfish, an eel-like creature that dwells on the sea floor.

Another is experimenting with ways to make cotton fabric water-resistant.

One researcher, collaborating with companies, has nearly perfected a way to dye fabric without using water – a process that, if developed, could save dye houses hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in utility costs.

N.C. State and Clemson are the only universities in the Carolinas with four-year programs that give students a background in the science of textiles.

Other universities, such as UNC Greensboro and East Carolina University, offer programs in textile design and marketing. Community colleges also offer classes in textile technology.

Promising careers

Textile college students are finding success in the job market.

Of the 156 textiles students who graduated from N.C. State last May, 95 percent have found work. About half went to work for textile companies, a quarter went into non-textile employment, and the rest headed to graduate school or are still looking.

Starting salaries are impressive, as well. The average textile engineer in the class of 2001 earns about $48,000 – about the same as other engineers graduating from N.C. State. The average student graduating with a degree in textile management or textile technology makes nearly $38,000 annually.

Those figures are well above national averages for students graduating with degrees in fields such as English ($30,700), nursing ($34,700) and psychology ($29,900), and about equal to national averages for business majors ($37,900), according to a spring 2001 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

At Clemson, which has about 125 students studying textiles, students graduate with skills to succeed in many areas, says Professor Clarence Rogers, who teaches yarn manufacturing.                                                          

“We’re problem solvers,” he said. “If you can solve problems in my area of yarn manufacturing, you can solve problems in any area.”

Many textile companies, such as Parkdale Mills and Fort Mill, S.C.-based Springs Industries, place recent graduates into yearlong management programs, after which they become supervisors at plants and perhaps eventually plant managers and upper-level managers.

Others, such as Milliken & Co. of Spartanburg hire recent graduates throughout the company. Milliken hires about 200 graduates a year.

“The need for textile engineers and textile technology majors is great,” said company spokesman Richard Dillard. “They’re particularly valued, and we’re always looking for talent.”

Some students, such as Cox, became interested in textiles through family members who work in the industry. Cox spent a summer internship at Spencer’s Inc. in Mount Airy, a children’s clothing maker where he studied the company’s cost system. He says he now looks forward to a career in textile engineering.

But others are like Cheryl Soule, a sophomore from Gibsonville, who first found out about textiles from an N.C. State recruiter.

She said she was drawn by the strong job placement, the high salaries and the flexibility her textile management degree will offer.

“You can do just about anything with textiles,” she said.

Soule is also studying Chinese and earning a second, interdisciplinary degree focusing on the Pacific Rim. She thinks she might like to go into international business, probably in textiles.

With new technologies, the future for textile students – and for the industry – is bright, says Joe Cunning, executive director of the National Textile Center in Wilmington, Del., which administers federal research money for textiles.

“If you’re interested in having an exciting career in a financially rewarding area,” he said, “this is it.”

Some possible opportunities for candidates in India include:

In textile engineering Career paths include process engineering, research and development, production control, technical sales, quality control and corporate management through the production supervisory route. Graduates with textile chemistry find careers in dyeing and finishing, technical services, research and development, quality control, product development, polymer science and environmental control. Most graduates of the with textile management program initially enter management trainee programs which can ultimately lead to plant or corporate management. Other career options include technical sales, industrial engineering, product development, marketing, customer relations, human resources, and cost and inventory control.

Some good courses in Textile Engineering are at:

Georgia Institute of Technology
North Carolina State University
Auburn University
Clemson University
Minho University, Portugal
Technical University, Liberec (TUL), Czech Republic
Clariant Switzerland
Gent University, Belgium
Itech, France
Manchester University, U.K
Leeds University, U.K
The Society of Dyers and Colourist, Bradford
College of Communication under University of London
IIT Delhi

Source: multiple

suggested reading (links and engineer profile): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textile_engineering 

14. Mechanical Engineering

OK, here is a major that was surely long overdue! And I accept it as a fault on my part. Nonetheless, it has a very bright future as is quite apparent from the articles I republish here!

Mechanical engineers work at a wide variety of jobs in a wide variety of industries. They specialize in areas like research and development, design, systems planning, management, manufacturing and production operations, and technical sales or consultation. Usually they work in a specific area like automotive engineering, heat transfer hydraulics, electromechanics, controls and instrumentation, nuclear systems, or tooling. Some of the most common areas of specialization include:

• Applied mechanics
• Computer-aided design and manufacturing
• Energy systems
• Heating, refrigeration and air-conditioning systems
• Pressure vessels and piping.

Since you’ve been studying mechanical engineering for some time now, you already know that virtually every item that hums, buzzes, beeps or gurgles has some mechanical component to it. Actually, you probably know that just from being conscious for the past couple of decades. Mechanical devices are everywhere we turn. Mechanical engineers, whether or not they were called such, have taken us from the steam engine to the 280 m.p.h. magnetic levitation train. (OK, so it’s experimental, but it’s still going to be an impressive advancement.) So what’s next?

The Fundamental Things Apply

Computers have changed the mechanical engineering industry considerably. Manufacturers are increasingly replacing old mechanical parts like pistons, gears and levers with electronic components that work faster, break down less often and don’t require messy oil. But Dr. Tim Gutowski, Ph.D., professor and associate head of the mechanical engineering department at MIT, says that’s nothing to worry about.

“The mechanical engineering discipline grows out as new technology emerges,” says Gutowski. “First it was cars, then computers. We’re still here.

“Most electronic things have some mechanical functionality and parts,” he continues. “Since our lives are inundated with them, it’s extremely important that they work reliably. It’s not worth it to have things that break down.”

The new technologies that are now getting the most attention across many disciplines might be called the five Os: nano, macro, bio, eco and info. The principles of mechanical engineering can be applied to all of these technologies, they just might show up differently.

Miniaturization of information and biological technologies will have tremendous influence on the Internet and medical fields. Take a look at your cell phone. Now you can send email and surf the Web from that tiny gadget you carry in your pocket. In order to include even more functions, everything has to get smaller.

Hear That? That’s Opportunity Knocking

 “I think the prospects are good for new graduates [with mechanical engineering degrees],” says Winfred Phillips, D.Sc., past president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and current vice president for research and dean of the graduate school at the University of Florida in Gainesville. “And in five years the prospects will be even better. Almost everything we use daily is mechanical engineering. We need mechanical engineers.”

Raytheon Company spokeswoman Wendy Jacobs agrees. “Mechanical engineers are in all our business units,” she says. “I think they’ll continue to play a significant role—from subminiature design to the very large mechanical structures we produce.”

As the nation’s third largest defense company, Raytheon employs more than 23,000 engineers, about 10% of whom come from a mechanical background. “We never stop hiring engineers. We always want to attract the best talent,” says Jacobs. “The best engineers are never going to be on the street long.”

Maybe you’re thinking, “No joke Raytheon’s hiring. The country is at war and Raytheon’s bread and butter is in defense.” True enough. But guess who else is hiring? Consulting companies . . . like crazy. Out of MIT’s 2001 class of 52 mechanical engineers, 11 of them—more than 20%—went to consulting companies like Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase.

“Mechanical engineering is very diffuse, which is a strength and a weakness,” Gutowski says. “I suppose it could be easier [to look for a job] if you’re more closely tied with an industry, like petroleum engineers. But there are lots of opportunities [for mechanical engineers]. For example, a sizeable portion of our students go to Wall Street using their math skills.”

Where the Jobs Are

The winter 2002 salary survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) found that the top three specialty areas in which mechanical engineers were getting job offers were, in order, design engineering, project engineering, and (tied for third place) field and manufacturing engineering. The average starting salary reported was $48,733, which is up eight-tenths of a percent since last year.

“That’s pretty good news for mechanical engineers,” says Camille Luckenbaugh, employment information manager at NACE. “Many disciplines are seeing a decrease in salary offers.”

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reports in its 2002-03 edition Occupational Outlook Handbook that mechanical engineers held more than 220,000 jobs in 2000 (the latest year for which stats were available), and that half of them were in manufacturing.

“To be a sound mechanical engineer, you have to know how to make stuff,” says Phillips. “The American economy is still reliant on making things.” He alludes to the dotcom crash as evidence of what often happens to companies that sell services but don’t manufacture products.

Overall, the Handbook reports that employment for mechanical engineers is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2010, with info-, bio- and nanotechnology opening up a whole world of opportunities.

And take that “whole world” stuff seriously. The biggest companies that employ mechanical engineers—like Raytheon, Dow, Motorola, DuPont and the big consulting firms—have offices and clients all over the globe.

“One of the hardest things is to tell an eager new mechanical engineer that [his or her] job is in Singapore or Hong Kong,” says Phillips. But it happens all the time.

“Be flexible. Be mobile,” advises Phillips.

Be All That You Can Be

So you know the best grads will get diverse employment opportunities and decent pay. So how do you become the best?

Some of the answer is pretty obvious and some of it is less so. “Employers are expecting the base knowledge in math and engineering, of course,” Gutowski says, “but they also want presentation skills, interpersonal skills, teamwork skills, and the ability to set your problem in the context of the world.”

What Raytheon wants from new engineers is energy. “We recruit at the college level, looking for people who want to learn, who are motivated, who bring a lot to the table in enthusiasm,” says Jacobs. “A high GPA is helpful, but it’s not primary.

“More and more communication skills are important,” Jacob adds, “because in such a large company in which we’re always trying to create an inclusive culture, people who work well with others become leaders.”

Don’t take this too casually. If you want to get a hold of one of those consulting jobs, for instance, you can’t just be a techie. Take it from Melissa Wood, recruitment manager at design consulting firm Burns & McDonnell: “As consultants, [our] mechanical engineers meet with clients all the time. They have to understand [clients’] needs and be flexible. They need excellent verbal and written communications skills. And it doesn’t hurt to take some balance of business courses.”

Speaking of more courses, you might be wondering if you should take two more years of them—getting a master’s degree. Our experts aren’t conclusive on this point.

“In the past,” says Gutowski, “people have said that ‘entry level’ means a master’s degree. That’s how you prove you really know your stuff.”

Speaking only for Burns & McDonnel, Wood says, “For our purposes, a master’s degree isn’t necessary. We hire in layers; to promote our current people we have to hire new people to take their place.”

Jacobs says of Raytheon: “We have opportunities for both [master’s and bachelor’s degree holders]. Contracts are always changing, so needs are always changing.”

“There is always a need for entry-level mechanical engineers,” asserts Phillips, “especially in larger firms where they can bring new things to an existing team. They might not be project managers immediately, but they are needed.”

Phillips cautions, however, that “upward mobility with a bachelor’s degree is very possible, but you must be prepared to continue learning.”

Employment of mechanical engineers is expected to grow at an average rate through 2014, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Generally, employment in manufacturing-a sector where many mechanical engineers work-has fallen steeply in the last few years as more manufacturing plants move overseas (outside USA)

Some good courses in mechanical Engineering are at:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Stanford University
California Institute of Technology
University of California–Berkeley
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign
Georgia Institute of Technology
Purdue University–West Lafayette
Cornell University
Carnegie Mellon University
Princeton University
Northwestern University (McCormick)
University of Minnesota–Twin Cities
University of Texas–Austin
Pennsylvania State University–University Park
University of California–Los Angeles (Samueli)
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Virginia Tech
Harvard University
Johns Hopkins University (Whiting)
Ohio State University
Texas A&M University–College Station (Look)
University of California–San Diego (Jacobs)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
University of Maryland–College Park (Clark)
University of Southern California (Viterbi)
Columbia University (Fu Foundation)
Rice University (Brown)
University of California–Santa Barbara
University of Pennsylvania
University of Washington
Duke University
Case Western Reserve University
University of Colorado–Boulder
University of Florida
University of Virginia
Yale University
Arizona State University (Fulton)
Iowa State University
Michigan State University
University of California–Davis
University of California–Irvine (Samueli)
University of Manchester
Bristol University
IIT Kanpur
IIT Kharagpur
IISc Bangalore
DCE New Delhi

Source: http://www.graduatingengineer.com/

Suggested reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_engineering

13. Acoustical Engineering

The job

Acoustical engineering typically involves equipment noise reduction, vibration studies and structure-borne noise management.

• Equipment Noise Reduction: reducing excessive noise from various mechanical and electrical sources both within and outside of buildings.
• Vibration Studies: addressing the effects of low frequency vibration propagation in the ground and in structures, generated by building systems, rail lines and roadways, on people and on sensitive equipment.
• Structure-Borne Noise Management: isolating vibrating equipment and footfall-generated noise capable of being transmitted throughout the structural elements of buildings.  

Straight out of school, most acoustical engineers join a consulting firm already in existence.  Eventually they may have the option of taking over that firm or starting their own firm.  Once a firm gets a reputation for quality service, it may go from working on churches and recording studios to working on large concert halls and well-known structures.  According to acoustical consultant-sensation Ron Spillman, advance degrees aren’t necessary to succeed in the consulting business.  Experience, not education, can bring great success to a consulting firm. Apart from firms, there are many organizations which hire acoustical engineers. These include anything from large airplane manufacturers to planning councils. 

Rising Demand

I asked a few acoustical engineers about the job demand, and here are their replies.

• Ron Spillman: “In terms of demand, it is probably very good, because we and our competitors have great difficulty finding qualified applicants.”
• John Erdreich, Ph.D.: “There is more demand for acoustical engineers now than there are engineers. At the meeting of the Acoustical Society of America last week, there was the largest number of job ads I have seen in 30 years.”
• Felicia Doggett: “The demand for good acousticians today is very great.  I was trying to hire someone and it took about 6 months to find that person.  Everyone is looking for good people right now.”

    Needless to say, there is a big market out there for Acoustical Engineers. All the three individuals mentioned are prominent figures in this field. 

Educational Requirements

The education required for an acoustical career is not at all defined.  It is an engineering field that not many, if any, colleges offer.  Robert H. Tanner, an acoustical consultant for the past forty years, said “There’s no one highway into the profession…Some are electrical engineers, some are mechanical engineers, some are physicists and some are architects.”  Ronald Spillman, an associate of the HFP Acoustical Consultants Inc., gave the following advice: “In terms of education, you might consider majoring in architecture or architectural engineering.  Or, acousticians often have backgrounds in physics or mechanical engineering.”  In summary, it is suggested that an acoustical consultant get an education in any of the following areas:

•  Science
•  Electrical Engineering
•  Mechanical Engineering
•  Math
•  Music
•  Architectural
•  Physics

    Many acoustical consultants emphasize the value of communication skills.  In fact, John Erdreich, Ph.D., believes that an English course is very important in becoming an acoustical consultant. He said the following: “The most important part of acoustical engineering (or any engineering) is the ability to communicate your ideas. If you can’t explain your ideas so that non-technical
people can understand them, you will not be a successful engineer.” 

The University of Hartford offers a program that combines music and acoustical engineering.  Other schools that offer acoustics programs are Auburn, Penn State, Univ. of Texas, Univ. of Houston, and Purdue. Many good universities Like Georgia Institute of Technology have such programs under other departments as a combined degree. 
In France, some good courses are available at
Conservatoire National des Arts et Metieri
Université du Maine
I am not personally aware of any courses available in India. There are loads of courses on architecture and that can serve as a good platform for a future graduate level course in Acoustical Engineering from USA.

For more information and links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustical_engineering