Engineering Mechanics and Generation Y
Robin
Ford
Passing
on the Torch
Wednesday 12th April was a catch up day.
The high point was an hour I spent reading a chapter of “Creating
significant learning experiences” by L Dee Fink. I have funding
to give me more time for working out how to teach Engineering
Mechanics to Generation Y – our new first years, but other
things have cropped up and swamped it.
One is coordinating a new 1st year design
course for 900+ students with 9 academics running
their own franchise within it. Another is preparing some of
our School’s materials for accreditation by Engineers Australia
(the Australian professional engineering body). And then there’s
preparing documentation for a complete course revision. So
it was lovely to have just that one hour of scholarly reading.
I don’t do a lot of technical research any more. As my academic
career moves towards a close I’m looking to transfer what
I know about the academic life to the new young colleagues
who will carry on the task. Passing on the torch.
When young I loved understanding how things could be explained.
Maths and science came easily to me. I had a big brother (8
years older) who was interested in engineering and an uncle
who was an engineering academic and consultant. Not to mention
my grandfather who invented an automatic plough that worked
(but it never got into production nor made any money).
So engineering it was for me. Nine years
in engineering research in an aeroengine company, then 29
years at UNSW in Mechanical Engineering. I did a lot of technical
stuff earlier, but the human interaction
side of engineering always interested me,
and that is where I am now. But the science of engineering
mechanics still delights me.
How come all that mathematical representation describes the
physical world.
It is a wonderful mystery
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