BuildingyourFuturein
BUILDING Your Future in Engineering Table of Contents:
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October 2010
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Opportunities in Engineering
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Qualifications-based Selection ~ How to Hire Consulting Engineering Ser vices
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M ATH C OUNTS
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The Art of Being Successful
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Should Engineers Get an MBA?
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When I grow up, I want to be a project manager.
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Savannah Looks to the Future Growing Engineers through H.V. Jenkins High School & Industr y Partnership
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Auburn University
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Georgia Institute of Technology
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Mercer University
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Southern Polytechnic State University
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2010 Salar y Sur vey of Northeast & South Atlantic Engineering Firms
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The Technical College System of Georgia Takes a Regional Approach to Meeting Georgia’s Engineering Technology Needs
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The University of Georgia
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Introduce a Girl to Engineering 2011
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Georgia Engineering Foundation
Building Your Future in Engineering
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Op p o r t u ni t i e s i n E ngi ne e r i ng
The Georgia Engineer magazine
Publisher : A4 Inc. 1154 Lower Birmingham Road Canton, Ga. 30115 770.521.8877 e-mail: thegeorgiaengineer@a4inc.com Managing Editor: Roland Petersen-Frey e-mail: rfrey@a4inc.com Associate Editor Robin Abree e-mail: rabree@UGA.edu Art Direction/Design Pamela S. Petersen-Frey e-mail: pfrey@a4inc.cm Buidling Your Future in Engineering is a publication of the Georgia Engineering Alliance 233 Peachtree Street Harris Tower, Suite 700 Atlanta, Ga 30303 Gwen Brandon Executive Director E-mail: gwen.brandon@gaengineers.org This is an annual publication of The Georgia Engineer magazine of which it is a part.
Planning for this little publication is exciting and rewarding. e participation by everybody has been terrific and it shows the enthusiasm of our universities, our professors, our mentors, and counselors. You might have thought that with the current slow economy some of the freshness and importance of this annual publication might have lost some steam, but to the contrary there is a deep understanding of the importance of engineering in our lives. If we can get just a few high school students to say “Yes, I can!” to math, and “Yes, I am going to compete in MathCounts,” this publication will have achieved its goals. e Georgia Engineering alliance shows the way in creating an atmosphere of working with and for engineers in all of their many disciplines and skills. It is an organization of immense importance to our profession and to future engineers in representing our interests in the halls of congress. It has created important guidelines and honors those principles always, as stated in the Engineers’ Creed, below. e future looks bright, and the opportunities are there to take advantage of. our students have something to look forward to and will have chosen a profession of great importance and influence in our society.
www.gaengineers.org ACEC/G American Council of Engineering Companies of Georgia www.ACECGA.org ASCE/GA American Society of Civil Engineers www.ascega.org GEF Georgia Engineering Foundation www.gefinc.org GMCEA Georgia Minority Consulting Engineers Association www.gmcea.org ITS/GA Intelligent Transportation Society www.itsga.org SEAOG Structural Engineers Association of Georgia www.seaog.org
Roland (Pete) Petersen-Frey The Georgia Engineering Alliance is an engineering association management company of which the following are members: ACEC/G GSPE ASCE ASHE GMCEA ITE ITS SEAOG GEF
American Council of Engineering Companies Georgia Society of Professional Engineers American Society of Civil Engineers American Society of Highway Engineers Georgia Minority Civil Engineers Association Institute of Transportation Engineers Intelligent Transportation Society Structural Engineers Associaton of Georgia Georgia Enginering Foundation
ENGINEERS’ CREED ITE/GA Institute of Transportation Engineers www.gaite.org
As a Professional Engineer, I dedicate my professional knowledge and skill to the advancement and betterment of human welfare.
WTS Women Transportation Seminar www.wtsinternational.org
I pledge: • To give the utmost of performance; • To participate in none but honest enterprise; • To live and work according to the laws of man and the highest standards of professional conduct; • To place service before profit, the honor and standing of the profession before personal advantage, and the public welfare above all other considerations.
GSPE Georgia Society of Professional Engineers www.gspe.org ASHE/GA American Society of Highway Engineers www.ashega.org
In humility and with need for Divine Guidance, I make this pledge.
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October 2010
Building Your Future in Engineering
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Qualifications-based selection how to hire Consulting Engineering services By Gwen D. Brandon, CAE | President | Georgia Engineering Alliance ear Clients, Prime Engineers, and students,
city/county attorney, for example; you do not hire a new attorney whenever a new legal issue arises (while you may if there is a complex issue requiring special expertise). assume for the moment that your QBs involves a few basic steps: community needs to accomplish a • notify engineering firms of your need by inviting a “project”; say it is a road, water/sewer plant statement of qualifications (Request for Qualifications, or lines, master plan, watershed study, industrial park, or RFQ) or a specific project proposal (Request for Prosome other capital project. You need a consulting firm to posals, RFP). perform the tasks to successfully accom• use a panel (say three to five people) to plish the project. how, then, do you hire evaluate the qualifications/proposals the engineer? It’s simple: select the most and select three to five firms for an inqualified engineering firm and negotiate a terview. complete scope of work and a fair fee. sim• on a single day, interview the shortple, huh? Does it require effort? Yes. But listed firms to get a better understandisn’t the success of your project worth it? If ing of their qualifications and the the project doesn’t matter, then the qualifipeople assigned to your project. allow cations of the engineer don’t matter. For time for questions and listen carefully projects that matter, the generally accepted to answers. process to select an engineer is referred to • Immediately aer the interview, disas Qualifications-Based selection, or QBs. cuss the merits of the firms and rank Gwen D. Brandon Qualifications-Based selection means them in order of qualifications. you consider a variety of competing engi•Meet with the top ranked firm to negotineering firms, rank them in the order of qualifications, and ate the terms of a contract, including scope of work and negotiate a scope/fee with the top ranked firm. QBs is refee. You should devote considerable time to understandquired by the federal government in the selection of design ing the scope of work—be sure you know what you want professionals under provisions of the Brooks Law. e and make sure it is in the scope of work. american Public Works association, which is primarily • If unable to reach agreement with the top ranked firm, composed of public sector officials, endorses QBs and recterminate negotiations in writing and begin negotiations ommends its use in professional services procurements. e with the second ranked firm. is gives the community american Bar association endorses QBs in their model proa powerful tool in the negotiations. curement code. state agencies endorse QBs (including Dot, Board of Regents, EPD, DCa, and GsFIC). Both What is not part of QBs? QBs is not a simple request for a the Georgia Municipal association (GMa), which consists lump sum fee for an ill-defined project. QBs is not a request of city government agencies, and the association County for a technical proposal and a lump sum fee proposal. Why Commissioners of Georgia (aCCG) have endorsed QBs in not? once price is introduced into the proposal evaluation, procuring professional services. as you may suspect, all of qualifications are frequently discarded and selection is on the the professional societies (engineers, architects, landscape ar- basis of cheap fee. If fee is considered prior to negotiations chitects, etc.) support QBs. with the best-qualified firm, respondents frequently will reIn some communities, a city or county may have an onduce the scope of work or use the least experienced and lowgoing relationship with an engineer. If the engineer has a est paid staff to execute the minimum scope of work. Quality unique understanding of a particular facility or, for example, is driven out, and the ultimate goal—a successful project—is a water/sewer system, it is sensible to continue in that relajeopardized. higher construction costs and/or the increase tionship. ese relationships are like those with the in annual operating cost will far exceed the reduction in engi-
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October 2010
neering fee. time and again, QBs has proved to be the method that has the highest likelihood of leading to a successful project. If you don’t care about a successful project, it doesn’t matter. If you want a project that is successful and serves your community effectively for the long term, use QBs in selecting your consulting engineering services. Please don’t hesitate to contact the Georgia Engineer-
ing alliance should you have any questions regarding QBs, or visit the QBs Georgia steering Committee’s Web site www.QBsGeorgia.com. sincerely, Gwen D. Brandon, CAE President | Georgia Engineering alliance
Georgia Engineering Alliance Member Associations: american Council of Engineering Companies of Georgia (aCEC/G), omas D. Gambino, PE, President Georgia society of Professional Engineers (GsPE), Luther o. Cox, Jr., PE, President american society of Civil Engineers (asCE), Jo ann Macrina, PE, President american society of highway Engineers (ashE), tim Matthews, PE, President Georgia Engineering Foundation (GEF), Jeff amason, PE, President Georgia Minority Consulting Engineers association (GMCEa), Birdel Jackson, PE, President Institute of transportation Engineers (ItE), David W. Low, PE,President Intelligent transportation society (Its), anthony Bradford, President structural Engineers association of Georgia (sEaoG), Kurt swensson, PE, President Women’s transportation seminar (Wts), Beth ann schwartz, PE, President
Scope of Services Provided by the Georgia Engineering Alliance •
office administration ~ e GEa office offers a permanent mailing address/phone number and has a permanent repository for files and historical records/documents.
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e Georgia Engineer Magazine ~ e magazine is mailed to the association’s members, based on a list provided to GEa. e magazine is published six times per year with a circulation of approximately 10,000. e association may appoint two members to the Editorial Board and is entitled to one or two pages in the magazine for news of the association (provided by the association).
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Georgia Engineers Legislative Coalition ~ e Georgia Engineers Legislative Coalition meets monthly and serves as a clearinghouse for legislative issues affecting engineering. an association may have two people participate in the Coalition. Legislative reports are prepared during the legislative session for Coalition members via email.
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Georgia Engineers Week Committee ~ e Georgia Engineers Week Committee coordinates the activities for Engineers Week. an association has two seats on the Committee which meets monthly to organize student outreach, publicity, Web site, awards, special lunches, and the E-Week banquet.
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other additional services ~ GEa offers other services including web hosting; meeting planning/registration; database management/communications; bookkeeping; and administrative support.
For 10 years, the Georgia Engineering Alliance has represented the engineering profession in Georgia by facilitating collaboration among various engineering societies on issues of mutual interest. Included among these interests, GEA has been highly successful in helping to educate various clients and procurement agencies on the value of QBS. GEA also provides administrative and program management services to GEA member organizations. For information on how your organization may participate, please contact Gwen Brandon, President, at the GEA office 404-521-2324.
Building Your Future in Engineering
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M athCounts MATH really COUNTS in engineering.
The Georgia Society of Professional Engineers greatest distinction lies in its role as the birthplace of MATHCOUNTS. MATHCOUNTS officially began in the fall of 1983 with an estimated 4000 schools from 47 states participating. Today MATHCOUNTS is a nationwide educational program that involves more than 300,000 middle school students, “e Mathletes,” competing to solve mathe-
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matical problems and equations. ere are Mathletes representing all of the fiy states and the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, state Department schools, and Department of Defense schools participating in this rewarding program and competition. In an effort to enhance america's global competi-
tiveness, MathCounts inspires excellence, confidence, and curiosity in u.s. middle school students through fun and challenging math programs. With the generous support of all Georgia MathCounts sponsors and volunteers, the Georgia MathCounts competition is hosted by the Georgia society of Professional Engineers at the local and state levels. MathCounts is providing today’s students with the foundation for success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. e 2011 Georgia MathCounts Competition will be held at the Georgia tech student Center in atlanta, Georgia on Friday, March 25, 2011. over 200 students from the 12 regions in Georgia will attend. e mathletes with the top four highest scores will advance to the national MathCounts Competition to represent the state of Georgia. In May 2010, Georgia’s MathCounts team ranked 9th in the nation at the national Competition held in orlando, Florida (Georgia’s team finished in 14th place at the 2009 MathCounts national Competition). Georgia team member, Edward Park an 8th grader, was a MathCounts national Quarterfinalist that
October 2010
finished in 6th place. With the support of the Georgia engineering community, the 2011 Georgia team can place even higher at the 2011 national MathCounts Competition in Washington, D.C. May 5-8, 2011. MathCounts is a national enrichment, club, and competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement through grassroots involvement in every u.s. state and territory.
Currently in our 28th year, MathCounts is one of the country's largest
and most successful education partnerships involving volunteers, educators, industry sponsors, and students. President Barack obama and former Presidents George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George h.W. Bush, and Ronald W. Reagan have all recognized MathCounts national winning teams at White house ceremonies. e MathCounts program has also re-
ceived two White house citations as an outstanding private sector initiative. Contact the Georgia society of Professional Engineers at 404-5212324 to sponsor and volunteer for the 2011 MathCounts Programs across the state of Georgia. Visit www.gspe.org/mathcounts.htm to learn more about the Georgia MathCounts Competition. v
e art of Being successful he biggest challenge any of us have in creating a successful career or firm is that we have been told so many things that are just not true. Like: if you know the right things to do and do them you’ll be successful. It’s totally a myth. or: how smart you are determines your success. another myth. We all know really smart people who are not very successful, and people who aren’t very smart that are very successful. here’s a short list of some of the other things we’ve been told, all of which simply are not true: it’s about working hard; or working smart, not hard; some people are just lucky; being in the right place at the right time; it’s who you know; it takes money to make money; it’s all about customer service; or having a unique niche; or providing a unique service. e list could be a lot longer. aer all is said and done, it comes down to two things: your attitude and your vision. attitude is key for many reasons. number one, if you don’t have a good attitude, nobody will want to be around you and you need other people if you want to be a success. More importantly, your attitude literally determines what you attract. so, happy, joyous, enthusiastic people, attract to themselves events and circumstances that support them in being happy, joyous, and enthusiastic. In like manner, unhappy, frustrated, irritable or angry people, attract to them events and circumstances that support them in being unhappy, frustrated, irritable or angry. so it’s really critical, if you want to be successful, to generate as positive an attitude as possible. Build your success on a foun-
Building Your Future in Engineering
dation of faith, trust, possibility, and abundance. Your vision is also key for the same reason. You will attract to you events and circumstances that are a match for the dominate pictures you hold in your mind. Most people spend their time worrying about how things are. If you do that, you’ll just keep creating more of how things are. Instead, create in your mind a picture of how you would like it to be, your personal vision of success, and then, literally make believe that is your reality. act as if it has already come true. If you have a hard time with that, just fake it until you make it. With these two ideas, it really could be quite simple! v
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Should Engineers Get an MBA?
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he answer is a resounding—maybe. Engineers in the field and current MBa-candidates say that it all depends on the individual and their career aspirations. “For me, the decision to pursue an MBa stemmed from a desire to tackle larger and more abstract strategic problems instead of the structured ‘engineering type’ problems I was accustomed to,” says Charlie Briston, an MBa student at Georgia tech. “the strong analytical capability that engineers possess is highly valued in the business world, but it is imperative that you also understand the other, more qualitative, aspects. these qualitative skills are what engineers stereotypically lack; we like black and white answers, but in the business world, it’s not typically that simple.” Making the decision to get an advanced engineering degree or an MBa means taking a hard look at personal goals. “In a world without resource constraints, an MBa compliments most any other degree or set of degrees an individual obtains,” says sean McClenaghan of ChB Capital. “however, the reality is, most individuals feel like they are time or resource constrained and can only afford one advanced degree. In that situation, the answer to the question regarding whether engineers should obtain an MBa versus an advanced engineering degree is—it depends.” Getting an MBa to supplement a person’s undergraduate engineering education certainly makes sense to engineers considering starting their own business or doing consulting. “ey are the ones most likely to benefit from the MBa,” says allen Ecker, retired vice president of scientific atlanta. “If you are going to start your own business, you better understand the fundamentals of business as well as the technical and engineering side. You can be great at finding a solution, but that solution must be workable from the business side. Ed Rogers, a corporate strategy manager with uPs echoes those sentiments, “an M.s. in an engineering disci-
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pline is the best bet for engineers on technical, scientific or academic career tracks. But engineers with management, consulting or entrepreneurship aspirations would probably benefit more from an MBa.” Randy steele, an engineer working on his MBa degree, knew that his career path at siemens needed more businessbased knowledge. “My rationale for going back to get my MBa was based on several factors at siemens. I've stepped farther from the technical fields and more into the business side of things,” says steele. “My new role has developed to incorporate things like project management, forecasting, cost estimation, and proposal development and taken a step away from the nuts and bolts. While not every company discusses blade design, flowrates, or bearing clearances, nearly everyone sets and meets budgets, has profit and sales goals, and manages projects. In that sense, business is a lot like math, it’s a language that is common across all industries.” however, not everyone agrees that the MBa is a necessity for engineers to succeed in business. "here in silicon Valley, Ms/PhD-level engineers, with and without MBa degrees, are very common on the management teams of new technology companies. Graduate degree choices are driven, in part, by what you want your core skill set to be and how you will use it to distinguish yourself in the business world early on in your career,” says Deb Kilpatrick, Vice President of Market Development at CardioDX Inc. "In my own experience, a PhD program provided me with a strong technical foundation for solving complex problems across multiple domains. is, along with a lot of ‘on the job’ learning, has enabled me to migrate from the R&D side into commercial management roles without an MBa. however, the reverse migration is not so prevalent.” across the board, MBa students and practicing engineers seem to agree that each person should work in the field before making the decision. “My advice would be to first go out and work for a couple of years and decide then what you want or need to do,” suggests Larry Jacobs, associate dean in
October 2010
the College of Engineering at Georgia tech. at is the same advice that the Career services office at Georgia tech gives. “unless they have a strong desire for an advanced degree or know that they need it to get the type of job they want upon graduation, I recommend that our students get several years of work experience beyond graduation prior to pursuing an advanced degree. is helps them to make an informed decision regarding graduate school and, if desirable, the type of graduate program they wish to pursue,” advises Marge Dussich, associate director of tech’s Career services. taking time to work is seen as a necessity for many hiring managers. “Whether it’s an MBa or engineering specialty, an engineering graduate should not hurry to jump into a career. use this time to learn as much as you can,” says Mike Polak of Memorial university Medical Center in savannah. Is the role of an engineer changing with industrial companies who have to implelement new practices and new technology so that in the future the MBa will be a necessity? “Engineers oen become the primary manager of change with an organization,” adds Ron nash of InterWest Partners. “What is changing today is the fact that technology is a pervasive component in most industries. e business leader now has the additional challenge of getting the most leverage out of their proprietary technology as well using technology adroitly to support most all of their business processes. e best way to develop an understanding of broad classes of technology is to obtain an undergraduate degree in engineering.”
a study of CEos today will reveal many more of them with engineering degrees than was the case only a couple of decades ago. “It is an oddity, but practically a fact, that you can get this technology and business education in only one way— an undergraduate degree in engineering followed by a masters degree in business. e reverse order does not work,” says nash. “an engineering degree opens up possibilities for advanced degrees in many disciplines, business being only one of them. I have heard an engineering degree described as "the liberal arts degree for a technological age. ere is a lot of truth to that.” While some believe that the MBa gives engineers a broad grounding that is missing from their technical degrees, Jacobs disagrees. “Engineering does give you a broad education; gives you great exposure to underpinnings or framework of how things are done. Getting an MBa depends on what you want to do. I am a big proponent of a Bs/Ms five year program to give someone a more technical ability. “ “For those that ended up in the perfect area of focus as a result of their undergraduate degree choice, they should consider themselves lucky,” says McClenaghan. “ey should
Building Your Future in Engineering
seriously consider an advanced degree in their technical field. again, at this point, do what will differentiate you the most in an ever increasingly competitive job market in a way that aligns you with your goals and desires.” v
Each individual needs to develop the key questions that they need to consider when making this decision. Some of these questions may include: • What do I really want to do? • How certain are you in the direction you want to take your career? • In addition to your on-thejob performance and responsibilities, what will best differentiate you in both the short term as well as long term over the course of your career? • What is the quality and reputation of the institution from which you are planning to obtain your advanced degree?
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When I grow up, I want to be a project manager
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By Christine Brack | Principal | Zweig White
Whether you are a civil, environmental, or structural engit various stages of our youth, we dreamt about any number of loy pur- neering firm—projects are what you do for a living. It’s the suits—becoming a doctor, lawyer, as- artful delivery of your professional services and it’s the way you tronaut, teacher, actor, architect, or even fuel the firm’s growth. to take it for granted would be very engineer. some people know from a very unwise. some of the most interesting statistics from the survey inyoung age what they feel they are destined to be. others take years before they find clude: their passion. Kids may say the darndest • Requirements tied to promotion. What sort of qualifications should a good project manager things, but likely one thing they don’t say is have? how many years of experience? What that they want to be a project manager when sort of skills? only 54 percent of participating they grow up. firms claim to have formal requirements for once in the profession, however, this is project managers. is has sunk from an allexactly what many engineers aspire to betime high of 79 percent in 2008. since Zweigcome—or still land into by accident. Indeed it White’s first Project Management survey is a very exciting and rewarding role to step went out in 1998, only 1999 scored lower (49 into. But project management is more than a percent). quality product, innovative solutions, client requirements, or even meticulous dollar tracking. • Investments in training. Both the It is especially more than an elevated title many corporate respondents (68 %) and the PMs assume arrives with juicy perks. Project man- Christine Brack themselves (36 %) resoundingly acknowlager is a role of many dimensions, and project edged that investing in training was the most important management is a skill we will always be learning—no matter thing the firm could do to improve project managehow many years we’ve been practicing it. ment. Most firms have completely cut this element at ZweigWhite, we conduct research within the indusfrom their budgets. Even in the good years, only ten try and aggregate that data so firms can use it to improve the percent of training or roughly $600 per employee was way they run their businesses. Whether we look at a single allocated to project management skills development. year’s results or analyze the trends over a ten year span, we have a very unique perspective worth sharing. our 2010 Project Management survey of architecture, Engineering, Planning, • Causes of rework. With fees already cut to the bone, performing rework is the surest way to gobble up & Environmental Consulting Firms is hot off the press—and any hope of profitability and growth. Firms cited unmet has revealed what we think are some very unnerving details client expectations (60 %) and inadequate Qa/QC (50 and shocking developments. %) as the leading culprits. First-time clients were a disCertainly the events of the last year and a half may have tant third (30 %) by comparison. ese are project mantransformed the way we run our firms. ey may even have agement issues—and all within our control. altered the way we view our profession and our clients. But in what ways has it changed how we now deliver our design and services? With a stronger focus on the bottom line and com- Business change usually follows a radical event—and firms petition fiercer than ever, internal project management pledge to move forward differently, smarter, and better. once the industry has recovered from this current tense environmethodologies and practices warrant a closer look. Even if economic circumstances did not influence dramatic ment, many will attempt to capitalize on the lessons they’ve adjustments, it is still worthwhile to compare, validate, and im- learned and refine legacy routines. We do not need to wait for an economic rebound to asprove our practices and policies.
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sess and refashion the way we run our firms. Fortunately, we, as leaders, have the opportunity to transform our practices as early as next week. so what can we do? •
Appreciate the role. If you want to serve as a project manager, or if you want to give this chance to an eager professional in your firm, there are responsibilities and ex-
Building Your Future in Engineering
pectations applicable to both sides of this equation. some of these may be more than many project managers bargained for—the stuff they don’t teach in school. understanding the sheer breadth of the role is critical, and firms have to provide support and authority where it counts. •
Change our perspective. understand the value behind the investment—whether it is in project management, leadership, business development, or technical areas—training benefits our entire firm. It is not a sunk cost and it is not a burden we have to somehow cram into busy schedules. It’s a business necessity because the only way a firm will grow is if its employees grow.
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Respect our profession. We are responsible for the advancement of our profession. Being active in our associations, collaborative in our learning, and progressive in our technologies are all good ways to do this. But it also includes viewing and defending our services as professional—and not as a commodity where we are ashamed for what we charge. v
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As part of their Civil Engineering experience, students design and test Lego bridges for their strength motors, designing circuits, and building batteries. ey study the generation of electricity and tour a local power plant. e upper Classman Camp consists of daily trips to a variety of locations implementing different types of engineering. students are exposed to careers in the engineering field and spend time interacting with engineers on the job. Rising senior Jeremy Young was quick to comment on his interest in camp. “is camp exposed me to the various aspects of engineering and helped me narrow down the type of engineer I want to be. I was eager every morning to find out what we would do that day that would grab my attention. some topics seemed uninteresting at first, but the speakers were passionate about what they do and made the topics inviting.” is summer brought about a new phase to the program. With the help of the industry partners at Georgia Power, the summer internship program became a reality for one student. e intern was able to work side-by-side with engineers in the utility industry, experiencing the day-to-day demands of the career. Plans for the future will be to identify more summer internships for rising seniors. Currently, the internship pro-
gram has been hampered by the age and safety requirements within the industry. Business/industry partners include Georgia Power; army Corps of Engineers; u.s. Coast Guard; savannah area Geographic Information system; hussey, Gay, Bell & DeYoung; o’Brien & Gere; LnG/El Paso Corporation; EMC Engineering; thomas & hutton; Gulfstream aerospace Corporation; and WPC, a terracon Company. Post-secondary education partners include Georgia technical Institute, savannah technical College, and savannah state university. Great things can happen for students when education and business/industry work toward common goals! the partnerships that support these future Coastal engineers are integral to the success of the program, which will ultimately be “Engineers for savannah.” these partners don’t just give financial support, they give their time and expertise to work with teachers and students, and really contribute to what the students are learning about the ‘real-world’ work of an engineer. v
savannah Looks to the Future: Growing Engineers through h.V. Jenkins high school & Industry Partnership a large percentage of the current Engineering workforce is rapidly reaching retirement age. In addition, Engineering students, especially students to fill Co-op positions within industry in the Coastal area are hard to come by. In response to this increasing need, several industries with engineering needs formed a collaborative partnership with h.V. Jenkins high school to discuss how the partnership could begin to grow engineers, beginning in the 9th grade and continuing through post-secondary institutions. Georgia technical Institute partners with armstrong atlantic state university to offer a dual degree program at its savannah campus. h. V. Jenkins high school offers its school of Engineering students a curriculum rich in advanced academics in addition to the Project Lead the Way Engineering curriculum. is program began with a pilot group of students in september 2008 and is now serving its third cohort of students. e h.V. Jenkins school of
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Engineering is a specialty Program offered by the savannahChatham County school system and is open to eligible students from throughout the county. Engineering industry personnel serve on the business education advisory committee (BEaC) and meet quarterly to help guide the implementation of the program. Members serve as volunteers for Get Into Energy Camp (freshman camp), Engineering Camp (upperclassmen camp), as guest speakers, conduct field trips and mentor students with engineering-related research. Industry volunteers take it very seriously—growing engineers for the Coastal area is critical! two five-day summer camps are held for the students in the program: rising Freshman Camp and upper Classman Camp. students who attend the rising freshman camp are exposed to engineering activities and careers related to energy. students participate in hands-on activities such as building
October 2010
Building Your Future in Engineering
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Georgia’s Middle & high school Engineering & technology Education Programs By Ronald Barker, Program Specialist for Engineering & Technology, Georgia Department of Education e Engineering and technology Education program in Georgia, delivered by certified teachers, embraces contemporary methodology and delivery methods. hands-on activities are a main-stay in these programs that teach our students about engineering. e teachers through professional development experiences, state-of-the-art classroom/laboratories, up-to-date curricu- lum, and supportive leadership are providing opportunities for students to come to grips with engineering processes, concepts, and careers. Experiences with robotics, CaD, CaM, CnC, CIM, laser engraving, prototyping, simulations, fluidics, precision measurement, and electronics (just to mention a few of the topics covered) provide Georgia’s students with relevant and meaningful applications of math and science concepts. is program answers the “why do I need to know this” question for many of today’s students. e program has been shown to keep students in school because of the applied nature of the activities. e program works closely with the engineering community to reflect what is currently taking place in our engineered world. e middle school program has a series of courses, typically nine weeks in length. e sixth grade course is titled “Exploring technology.” is course covers a broad spectrum of technologies such as design, problem solving, engineering careers, portfolio development and more. e seventh grade course titled “Invention and Innovation” looks at further development of design capabilities for the man made world, and students participate in activities that involve studying inventions, and inventors, as well as discovering the differences between inventions and innovations. students find themselves
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thinking about and search for their place in today’s technological world. e eighth grade course is titled “technological systems” and through a myriad of research methods (journals, the internet, use of media center materials, parent/grandparent interviews, the discovery channel and other contemporary programs) begin to experiment with electrical, mechanical, and fluid systems as well as continuing to look at design concepts. ey construct, model, experiment, and then record data in their engineering notebooks. ey operate, analyze, re-engineer, and at times perform destructive tests on objects they build. ey begin to take a real serious look at the world in which they exist. e high school engineering and technology program consists of a variety of what is called pathways. e pathways are as follows: 1. Engineering, 2. Manufacturing, 3. Electronics, 4. Energy systems, and 5. Engineering Graphics and Design. Each pathway is comprised of a series of three required courses and an opportunity to take a fourth course entitled “Research, Design and Project Management” and/or complete an internship in our Work Based Learning (WBL) program. e local school systems study the local community and determine the best program fit. e system along with the Engineering and technology Education instructor then determine what pathway the system will deliver. e system must then provide a laboratory space and the lab must be minimally but adequately equipped for the teacher to deliver the pathway. Engineering careers, concepts, systems, and recording methodology, are researched, studied, and applied. e application involves not only scale models but also full-sized operational proto-
types that are designed, constructed, tested, redesigned, retested, and more oen than not entered into a competition. a few examples of the large scale type of activities include robotics, submersibles, electrathon vehicles, hovercra, and solar vehicles. students are also exposed to research, design, and fabrication that involve the use of a variety of materials and multiple systems to solve problems related to security, consumer need, handicapped accessibility, prosthetic need, and more. some solutions lead to patents, others to the scrap pile, and still others to consumer use. e Georgia technology student association (Ga tsa) is the co-curricular youth organization for this program area. We can look at a typical year by the opportunities that this organization provides to students involved in Ga tsa. e students that are actively participating are provided not only leadership but also competitive event opportunities. We can write about Ga tsa as a series of installments for the year. e first installment is the Chapter officer Retreat for Excellence (CoRE) which takes place in a Georgia location that provides lodging, meals, ropes courses both high and low and meeting rooms as well as recreational space. CoRE typically has over 525 chapter advisors and members participating as a team to: 1. develop a program of work for the coming year, 2. participate in leadership classes, 3. participate in teambuilding events, 4. gain competition information, and 5. learn what it takes to become a successful chapter. ey will then be ready to tackle installment two, which is tECh Day at the Georgia national Fair (leadership and competition opportunities). students take home ribbons and cash prizes. e next installment is the Ga tsa Fall
October 2010
Auburn University Samuel Ginn College of Engineering and the
Building Your Future in Engineering
auburn university is one of the nation’s premier Land, space, and sea Grant research institutions blending arts and applied sciences. e university continuously changes to accommodate today’s needs, while remaining true to its unique traditions and spirit. Located in auburn, alabama, the main campus is known for its cutting-edge facilities, beauty, and sense of family. With a fall 2009 enrollment of 24,602 students from all fiy states and approximately eight countries, the institution is large enough to offer a world of diversity in people and programs, yet small enough to feel like home.
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auburn has 1,176 full-time faculty, 154 part-time faculty, 19,926 undergraduates, 3,689 graduate students, and 987 first professional students, and offers degrees in 13 schools and colleges at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels. e university is ranked 39th among public universities nationwide, according to an annual survey released by u.s.news & World Report. e ranking marks the 17th consecutive year the magazine has ranked auburn among the nation’s top 50 public universities. auburn is home to the state’s largest engineering program, producing nearly half of its engineering graduates. Enrollment in 2008 included 3,383 undergraduates and 720 graduate students. e 2009 u.s. news & World Report ranked the samuel Ginn College of Engineering undergraduate engineering program 28th and the graduate program 41st among the nation’s public universities. e college is a leader in technological education and strives to give each of its graduates the tools necessary to address the challenge of the future. auburn Engineering houses nine departments, offering
15 majors and four minors. students can pursue graduate and undergraduate degrees in aerospace engineering, biosystems engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, environmental science, industrial and systems engineering, materials engineering, mechanical engineering, polymer and fiber engineering, and wireless engineering. auburn graduates are recognized by employers for their ability to hit the ground running—a testament to the college’s commitment to providing students with a solid foundation in engineering fundamentals, as well as real-world problem solving experience. e college offers the nation’s first and only bachelor’s degree in wireless engineering, graduating the first students in 2004. It was also the first program in the southeast to offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees in soware engineering and the only state university offering a polymer and fiber engineering program. a new automotive engineering and manufacturing minor prepares students for careers in the nation’s rapidly evolving automotive industry. e college’s unique Business-Engineering-technology minor brings together students from business and engineering to expose them to workplace strategies that address today’s fast-paced business climate, where engineers and business leaders are oen called on to work together across borders and time zones. new global education opportunities are allowing auburn engineering students to advance their engineering education around the globe—from spain to Germany to australia. Beyond the classroom, students gain hands-on, realworld experience though our undergraduate research program and in student competitions that include Formula saE competition cars, Baja saE all-terrain vehicles and saE aero Design unmanned airplanes, as well as fuel cell powered cars, robotics, ergonomics, materials handling design,
S AMU E L GIN N COLLE GE OF ENGINEERING FACTS • • • • • •
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Undergraduate students: 3,383 Graduate students: 720 Faculty: 162 Continuing Education Units: Yes Tuition: http://www.auburn.edu/administration/business_office/pdf/tuition.pdf Starting salary range for graduates with bachelor’s of engineering degree: $50,000-$70,000.
October 2010
and concrete canoes. auburn Engineering attracts some of the best and brightest and is committed to helping fund their education. In 2008, auburn engineering students received more than $5.3 million in scholarships—with $3.3 million awarded by the university and $2 million awarded through the college and its departments. students from the Ginn College of Engineering comprise approximately 25 percent of those who graduate with honors university-wide and 80 percent of co-op students. e college ranks 15th nationally among all u.s. engineering schools in the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded to african-americans. e Ginn College of Engineering reaches out beyond the campus through its longstanding and well-respected graduate distance learning program in a variety of engineering disciplines. With an enrollment of more than 600 students, the program reaches students in 42 states, as well as Puerto Rico and numerous military bases around the world. Its engineering professional development program has more than 90 courses available for earning continuing education credits (CEus) through distance learning and they are accepted by 41 state professional engineers and land surveying boards. e program is an educational test leader with partners such as Boeing, IEEE, and the american society of Engineering Educators. auburn professors are some of the hardest working in the nation. e college is home to 156 faculty—97 percent who are tenure/tenure track professors. It is highly ranked in research funding per faculty member and is among the top 40 in the nation in research expenditures. In fact, the college accounts for approximately half of auburn’s annual research expenditures. e college is home to 15 research centers and numerous laboratories. Research areas include aerospace engineering, bioprocess/environmental engineering, fiber technology, food safety, highway/asphalt technology, information technology, materials processing, microelectronics, nanotechnology, occupational safety and ergonomics, pulp and bioresources, technology management, transportation technology, vehicle electronics, and wireless engineering. With a host of generous, loyal sponsors and supporters, auburn’s College of Engineering constantly expands its facilities and research to ensure that our students leave ready to develop solutions to today’s programs. ongoing invest-
Building Your Future in Engineering
ments in new research equipment, more than $30 million in renovations and $108 million in new construction, adding 225,000 square feet of classroom, laboratory and office space, are ensuring that the college’s facilities remain stateof-the-art. Cutting-edge facilities, talented and hardworking faculty, solid academics and a world of opportunities for learning outside of the classroom make auburn a leader in engineering education. It is not surprising that auburn graduates leave ready to make their mark. e college has educated four of auburn’s six nasa astronauts, three directors of the Kennedy space Center, and three members of the prestigious national academy of Engineering. our graduates hold leadership positions in industry, academics and the public sector. auburn university is known not only for its academic and research excellence, but for its impact on alabama and the region as well. a recent study determined au had a nearly $4 billion economic impact on the state of alabama, including a $ 1.5 billion impact on the economy and a $ 2.4 billion impact in ‘human capital.’ au’s technical assistance Center, a collaborative Engineering / Business outreach unit, performs hundreds of projects annually for state industry, generating millions of dollars in increased efficiencies and saving or creating hundreds of jobs statewide. v
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Georgia Institute of Technol-
Georgia tech is one of the premier universities in the nation. Located in the heart of atlanta, students attend classes within bustling city life, giving them a one-of-a-kind college experience. Georgia tech’s College of Engineering (CoE) offers the resources of a major technological university and a location in the heart of cosmopolitan atlanta. CoE is the largest of the Georgia tech’s six colleges, enrolling more than 60 percent of the students at Georgia tech and about half of all tenured and tenure track faculty at the Institute. CoE offers more than 50 different degree programs at the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels through its main atlanta campus, in savannah, and at satellite campuses around the world. Georgia tech CoE students can pursue graduate and undergraduate degrees in the schools of aerospace Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Industrial & systems Engineering, Materials science & Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. also, with Georgia tech’s Bs/Ms program, students can obtain a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in just five years. e College’s engineering education programs offer a diverse student body and faculty committed to excellence in teaching and research. Georgia tech's College of Engineering has a
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strong national and international reputation. CoE is the largest producer of engineering degrees awarded to women and underrepresented minority students according to the american society of Engineering Education (asEE) and Diverse Issues in higher Education. e College of Engineering is consistently ranked among the country’s top five engineering schools. Because of its high academic quality and relatively low cost, Georgia tech’s CoE is cited as one of the best values in american higher education by publications such as the Fiske Guide to Colleges, the Princeton Review, and the Kiplinger Business Magazine. e College currently ranks fih in undergraduate engineering programs and fourth in graduate engineering programs according to us news and World Report. as the largest u.s. College of Engineering, CoE is an exemplary leader in engineering education, research, and service taking on the challenges of tomorrow’s world. CoE provides an educational experience that prepares graduates for a career not only in engineering, but other professions such as medicine, law, business, and public policy. Graduates of tech’s engineering program are ready to contribute to the global workforce immediately upon graduation and are prepared to ‘hit the ground running.’ students have dozens of opportunities for hands-on, interdisciplinary technological research that give them an opportunity to work alongside renowned faculty on meaningful projects with real human benefits. CoE graduates are technologically proficient and innovative, broadly knowledgeable, and globally competent, with
the ability and resources to transcend geographic, cultural, and ideological boundaries. From developing renewable energy sources and models for predictive health to designing robots that replace service dogs and new materials that are capable of bonding tendons to bone, Georgia tech engineers are leaders in shaping the way people live. across the globe, Georgia tech engineers are making a difference. take for example, alumnus tracy hawkins, with a degree in Industrial and systems Engineering from Georgia tech, she has found her calling as a “humanitarian engineer.” Focused on providing clean water, tracy is a vice president of FilterPure, which manufactures and distributes ceramic water filters to clean contaminated river water to use as drinking water. e College of Engineering stresses the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship. Created and organized by faculty, e InVenture Prize @ Georgia tech was developed to provide incentives, resources, and a structure for undergraduate student inventorship, innovation, and entrepreneurship in a fun, high-profile event. e annual competition helps promote Georgia tech’s mission of "providing the state of Georgia with ... innovation ... it needs to shape a prosperous and sustainable future and quality of life for its citizens." In addition, tI:GER is a multidisciplinary, engaged learning program intended for students interested in understanding the innovation processes that are used in commercializing technologies. e program is a unique educational collaboration between Georgia tech and Emory university which prepares students for the challenges of commercializing new tech-
October 2010
nology and delivering innovative products to the marketplace. students who desire to study engineering may prefer to attend a community college, a historically black college or university (hBCu), or a gender specific college. to encourage and accommodate these students, the College of Engineering offers the opportunity to transfer to Georgia tech via the Dual Degree Engineering Program (DDEP) and the Regional Engineering transfer Program (REtP. students studying at participating schools have the opportunity to transfer to Georgia tech’s College of Engineering aer three years. transfer students then complete their engineering degree aer two years studying at Georgia tech’s CoE. List of participating colleges may be found
on the Georgia tech College of Engineering web site: www.coe.gatech.edu. Georgia tech’s College of Engineering faculty comprises the brightest minds in the field. among the College’s highly trained faculty, nearly 45 percent are tenured/tenure track professors. additionally, the CoE faculty hosts 20 Regents’ Professors, 88 named Chairs and Professorships, one Institute of Medicine (IoM) member, a Guggenheim award winner, and 13 Georgia Research alliance Eminent scholars. ere are 26 national academy of Engineering members on the Georgia tech faculty. since the nsF CaREER award was established for young faculty in 1995, more than 80 College of Engineering faculty members have received this prestigious honor.
Building Your Future in Engineering
With abundant funding and a host of generous, loyal sponsors, CoE constantly expands its facilities and research departments. Last year, Georgia tech’s College of Engineering received a record 1,134 new sponsored awards. For 12 years, Georgia tech has been the top public institution in engineering research and development. CoE has more than 70 interdisciplinary centers including four national Centers of Excellence. CoE provides the technological engineering education and research that anticipate and meet the needs of a complex global society. It is also dedicated to men and women who use their knowledge and skills on behalf of improving the quality of life, solving complex societal problems, and finding innovative solutions across a broad spectrum of challenges. Georgia tech attracts a high quality of student at every level and places a high value on fostering students’ engagement with the world around them through research, co-op, and international experiences that give them a competitive advantage. v
GEORGIA TECH FACTS • 444 Faculty Members • 7,900 Undergraduate students • Average Salary: $60,000 (lowest $50,000 | highest $66,500) • Professional Development Hours: YES • For Tuition Information, please check our Web site
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Mercer University The small classes and intimate learning experiences offered at Mercer, coupled with a faculty that not only has excellent technical knowledge but also the highest level of commitment to students, guides an environment in which innovative and ethically sound engineering practices naturally develop. Mercer’s program allows each student to become the best engineer and the best person he or she can be.
ince its beginnings as a small Baptist university in 1833, Mercer university has become one of the most recognized private colleges in the southeast. For the last twenty years, u.s. news’ College Report has ranked Mercer as a leading private southern university. Even more impressively, the Princeton Review placed Mercer in the top ten percent of all colleges in north america and recognized its goodwill mission, nicknaming it the “College with a Conscience.” Mercer’s services make its students well-rounded, caring individuals. students can participate in a variety of student and Greek organizations, enjoy high-tech recreation facilities or cheer on Mercer’s distinguished athletics department, the only private nCaa I division in the south. With programs like “Mercer on a Mission,” students from all majors can reach out to the community and help with charities like homeless shelters and habitat for humanity. Last year, Mercer bio-medical and civil engineering undergrads traveled across the globe, providing life-saving measures like prosthetics to amputees in Vietnam and installing water purification systems to villages in Kenya. students walked away with fulfilling, hands-on experience that will last forever.
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October 2010
Despite being a relatively young program, Mercer’s engineering department has flourished since 1985. e college offers a wide selection of undergraduate and graduate degrees including biomedical, computer, electrical, environmental, mechanical engineering, and industrial engineering. For those looking to fair more on the management side of engineering, Mercer offers bachelor degrees in industrial management as well as Master’s degrees in engineering management, technical communication management (online) and technical management. Mercer also caters to ambitious engineering undergrads with its dual-degree, Bs/Ms program and students can receive bachelor’s and master’s degrees in just five years. Without the use of teaching assistants and small classroom settings, students build close relationships with distinguished professors who hold the highest degrees attainable in their fields. also, Mercer students focus on hands-on training early, beginning at the freshmen level. By the time undergrads reach their senior years, most devote their time to independent projects and compete in national engineering competitions. students present their engineering accomplishments at societal conferences and network with outstanding contacts. undergrads utilize Mercer’s high-tech engineering labs and facilities to study basic mechanical, electrical, electromagnetic, solid state, and optical and nonlinear phenomena. Each student team in the school’s innovative senior design program is provided with dedicated private lab space to complete their projects. Mercer enjoys the contributions of the Mercer Engineering Research Center, or MERC, a non-profit operating unit that supplies high technology applications to customers like the air Logistic Centers, air Force Research Laboratory, army, navy, state and local governments, and industry. Mercer’s strong relationship with the national Engineering advisory Board (nEaB) allows students to showcase work at nEaB meetings and network with nEaB members. e school's close partnerships with Warner Robins air Force Base, the Mercer university Research Center, and the national Engineering advisory Board help students make professional contacts and land dream jobs. With an emphasis on charity and generosity, Mercer students graduate not only with abundant practical and the-
Building Your Future in Engineering
oretical knowledge but walk away with the highest of ethical standards to bring to the engineering field. e single most helpful tool Mercer’s engineering program has offered are their wonderful professors. all professors have an open door policy. ey are so kind, understanding, and patient while helping students learn the material. aside from the professors, the program itself not only provides the in-depth skills needed but it also provides a broad scope of engineering. e first two years are filled with courses that open us to all engineering focuses such as thermodynamics, autoCaD, and circuits. en, the last two years focus on the selected major. Projects, labs, and working in groups have provided me with the ability to work, communicate, and do hands on acitivites with others in my current full time position. Mercer has a great engineering program which has helped get to me where I am today. – Jennifer Nguyen, 2009 Industrial and Systems Engineering Major, currently works at Frito Lay v
MERCER FACTS Number of Full-time Faculty: 33 Dean: Wade H. Shaw, Ph.D., P.E., (478) 301-2459 UNDERGRADS: 400-450 undergrads Professional Engineering Hours: No. Distance Learning: Yes. DL offers hydrid and Online-only graduate courses and degrees Scholarship for Engineering Education (SEE) This scholarship is a forgivable loan program offered to Georgia students studying in an approved bachelor of science in engineering degree program at Mercer. The award is $3,500 per academic year. Students must agree to work in Georgia as an engineer upon graduation to avoid loan repayment. 9-2010 ESTIMATED Undergraduate Costs Tuition & Fees $30,560 Room/Board 9,338 Personal Expenses & Transportation 2,000 Books & Supplies 1,200 Total $43,098
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Southern Polytechnic State University
Located just ten minutes outside the perimeter, Southern Polytechnic State University is a prime choice among students eager to expand their knowledge of technical skills while also prepping themselves for various engineering careers in the future. Established in 1948 and once a branch of Georgia Tech University, SPSU became its own accredited four-year college in 1980 and one of the first colleges in the nation to offer the Bachelor’s of Engineering Technology degree. Since then, Southern Polytechnic University has remained true to its mission and its namesake; the ‘poly’ in Polytechnic comes from the Greek work ‘Polus’ meaning “many.” Likewise, SPSU students are exposed to abundant skills and training courses, providing them with the most diverse education for ample ca24
October 2010
southern Polytechnic state university offers Bs engineering degrees in Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Construction, systems, soware, and Mechatronics. It offers Bs engineering technology degrees in Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, telecommunications, and Industrial. sPsu students receive a core liberal arts education that allows them to communicate clearly and persuasively in addition to solving scientific problems critically and analytically. sPsu teaches its students the importance of developing an international perspective in a global marketplace. sPsu students enjoy a smaller classroom setting with experienced faculty members. e faculty has extensive realworld experience and most hold doctorate level degrees in engineering. With just under 30 students to a classroom and no teaching assistants, students receive individual attention from the most qualified people in the engineering field. Moreover, sPsu keeps up with other reputable engineering academies, consistently winning top honors in student competitions at the regional, national, and international levels. sPsu also hosts some of the state’s brightest students; its applicants’ sat scores are among the highest in the university system of Georgia for entering freshmen. sPsu doesn’t disappoint its students and keeps up with those ‘big-wig’ institutions in Georgia. all sPsu students enjoy affordable housing and residence halls conveniently located on campus. additionally, students appreciate amenities like complimentary and spacious recreation centers as well as well-stocked libraries and extensive research facilities. Recently, sPsu has upgraded its asphalt and testing gear with its state of the art asphalt Performance tester and is one in a handful of schools that has this technology. In addition, the engineering department has significantly ex-
panded its mechatronics and computer integrated manufacturing laboratories to include multiple multi-axis robotics for use in undergraduate research. and, since all sPsu engineering students are required to successfully complete a capstone research/design project prior to graduation, the availability of cutting-edge equipment allows undergraduates to enhance their educational experience. But above all, sPsu provides its students with a diverse atmosphere, hosting students from all nationalities and ethnicities. Each sPsu student has a chance to network and explore within a community of workers in which they will collaborate with in the future. v
~Eric Brisse | Civil Engineering Major | 2011 Civil Engineering Technology
S O U T H E R N P O LY T E C H N I C S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y FA C T S Fall 2009 undergraduate enrolled students: soware Engineering Construction Engineering Mechatronics Engineering systems Engineering undergraduate starting salaries for 2010: soware Engineering Construction Engineering
Building Your Future in Engineering
125 83 180 4
$54,417 $56,600
Fall 2010 In-state tuition for undergraduates: 12 hours $2,590 15 or more hours $3,088 Fees $ 598 Fall 2009 out-of-state tuition for undergraduates: 12 hours $7,846 15 or more hours $9,658 Fees $ 598 Professional Development hours Yes.
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2010 salary survey of northeast & south atlantic Engineering Firms e following is the fih edition of ZweigWhite’s salary survey of south atlantic Engineering Firms. is report shows base salaries for employees in engineering firms throughout Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, north Carolina, south Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. e salary survey of south atlantic Engineering Firms has been prepared in partnership with three state chapters of the american Council of Engineering Companies (aCEC/FL, aCEC/Ga, and aCEC/MD). e following is a summary of the design/technical staff annual base salary. mean
median
lower quartile
upper quartile
Civil Engineer Entry-level Project engineer Project manager Department manager Principal
$50,716 $67,934 $90,831 $104,922 $142,390
$50,500 $64,500 $86,738 $101,581 $128,419
$46,600 $60,335 $78,905 $91,520 $109,230
$55,000 $73,008 $100,000 $119,000 $156,000
Structural Engineer Entry-level Project engineer Project manager Department manager Principal
$51,199 $70,319 $92,677 $115,556 $126,237
$52,100 $68,500 $90,000 $110,000 $122,600
$46,150 $61,375 $80,184 $100,932 $99,840
$55,732 $74,200 $95,000 $120,018 $150,000
Electrical Engineer Entry-level. Project engineer Project manager Department manager Principal
$50,940 $80,370 $99,204 $137,904 $206,000
$51,000 $76,000 $87,500 $106,000 $200,000
$47,000 $65,275 $77,000 $103,688 $150,000
$55,100 $90,000 $104,260 $175,000 $200,000
Mechanical Engineer Entry-level. Project engineer Project manager Department manager Principal
$52,906 $69,900 $98,516 $132,504 $152,942
$54,080 $61,568 $86,400 $117,520 $150,000
$53,000 $59,369 $78,000 $100,000 $103,050
$56,000 $71,500 $106,080 $124,824 $162,000
Geotechnical Engineer/Scientist Entry-level Project engineer Project manager Department manager Principal Environmental Engineer/Scientist Entry-level Project engineer Project manager Department manager Principal
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$43,759 $58,300 $88,666 $88,645 $80,000
$45,200 $59,350 $85,000 $90,000 $120,000
$36,000 $51,521 $67,000 $68,785 $40,000
$52,686 $65,000 $91,000 $106,000 $120,000
$49,002 $60,937 $86,143 $99,932 $132,767
$50,000 $57,500 $84,403 $94,050 $142,600
$45,000 $56,013 $75,248 $87,360 $108,884
$54,995 $69,680 $95,507 $102,500 $148,773
October 2010
mean
median
lower quartile
upper quartile
Traffic/Transportation Engineer Entry-level Project engineer Project manager Department manager Principal
$53,468 $68,977 $94,224 $116,673 $168,477
$52,600 $68,640 $91,499 $112,008 $140,000
$50,000 $65,000 $82,947 $105,500 $116,480
$57,000 $74,825 $97,778 $120,480 $176,800
Planner Entry-level Project engineer Project manager Department manager Principal
$47,111 $65,466 $85,868 $112,948 $156,900
$48,880 $65,728 $78,637 $110,000 $125,000
$44,800 $62,760 $65,000 $98,625 $125,000
$50,000 $74,900 $90,000 $119,600 $176,800
GIS Professional Entry-level Project engineer Project manager Department manager Principal
$40,265 $59,265 $96,233 $106,995 *
$40,000 $53,000 $83,200 $108,940 *
$35,000 $52,000 $69,427 $97,000 *
$47,190 $71,000 $125,000 $125,008 *
Land Surveyors Instrument Person I Survey Technician Field Survey Party Chief Project Surveyor Survey Department Manager
$37,275 $43,779 $54,338 $74,239 $92,509
$37,440 $39,627 $50,500 $69,680 $87,360
$31,117 $37,176 $46,708 $65,000 $81,948
$40,800 $52,300 $58,500 $80,038 $98,800
Civil Engineering Technician Entry-level. Mid-level Senior-level
$39,665 $42,684 $60,932
$37,440 $40,000 $59,003
$33,800 $37,000 $50,939
$45,000 $47,840 $63,800
Mechanical Engineering Technician Entry-level Mid-level Senior-level
$35,976 $45,269 $82,797
$29,848 $44,000 $66,300
$28,080 $40,123 $60,281
$50,000 $47,507 $87,000
CADD/GIS Operator Entry-level Mid-level Senior-level
$37,375 $43,474 $56,035
$36,600 $41,080 $58,406
$33,488 $37,440 $50,000
$41,600 $51,313 $60,528
Field Technician Entry-level Mid-level. Senior-level
$36,112 $48,259 $60,256
$33,280 $52,000 $65,000
$31,200 $38,688 $46,743
$41,200 $59,726 $69,831
* Based on a sample too small to yield meaningful values.
For more information about our other publications, newsletters, seminars, and/or consulting services, please contact us. ZweigWhite | 321 Commonwealth Road | suite 101 | Wayland, Ma 01778 tel: 508-651-1559 | Fax: 508-653-6522 | E-mail: info@zweigwhite.com | Web: www.zweigwhite.com
Building Your Future in Engineering
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e technical College system of Georgia takes a Regional approach to Meeting Georgia’s Engineering technology needs
G
eorgia’s industry, especially the energy sector, depends on education to supply its growing need of workers skilled in engineering technology. Engineering technology, as opposed to pure engineering, focuses on the application end of the technical job functions continuum (see diagram below). e 26 colleges of the technical College system of Georgia (tCsG) specialize in researching and adding new programs that fill the employment needs of the businesses and industries in their service delivery areas. e most recent example of this type of collaboration took place in northeast Georgia where augusta technical College launched its new nuclear Engineering technology (nEt) program. is shows how a tCsG college working closely with business and industry responded to the shortage of qualified workers in the energy sector. e nEt program allows augusta tech students to earn an associate degree in non-licensed operations and maintenance work in the growing nuclear industry. Plant Vogtle—operated by southern nuclear and jointly owned by Georgia Power Co., oglethorpe Power Corp., the Municipal Electric authority of Georgia and Dalton utilities—is located near Waynesboro, a part of augusta tech’s service area. Last year Plant Vogtle became the first u. s. utility in three decades to receive approval to begin construction on new units. e two Westinghouse advanced Passive 1000 (aP1000) Pressurized Water Reactors will provide the state an addi-
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tional 1,215 megawatts of power each. In addition to southern nuclear, the savannah River site just across the river from augusta also requires a reliable pool of trained nuclear workers. however, the nuclear industry must focus beyond increasing the quantity of workers; it must also concentrate on increasing the quality of its workforce. e nuclear Regulatory Commission sets stringent standards workers must meet. to achieve this dual goal, augusta tech began working closely with southern nuclear and other representatives of the nuclear industry. Rick hall, augusta technical College’s Vice President of academic affairs, was more than happy to assist in the collaboration and immediately put his team into action to help fill the twoyear engineering worker pipeline. hall stated that the result of the collaborative efforts between southern nuclear and the college led to a planned sequence of courses that meets the defined educational requirements of the Institute of nuclear Power operations (InPo)
uniform Curriculum Guide, which is a curriculum to standardize associate degree nuclear training across the nation. augusta technical College President terry Elam spoke highly of the value of the nEt program and the quality jobs that it will bring to the college’s graduates. “We were honored to put together a team at augusta tech to develop the nuclear Engineering technology program,” said Elam. “e tremendous support that we have received from southern nuclear and others involved gave us the chance to provide our students an exceptional opportunity to become a part of an in-demand and lucrative field.” e technical colleges’ educational emphasis on the practical aspects of engineering versus the four-year focus on theoretical or analytical aspects sets the tCsG programs like the nEt apart from the traditional four-year university engineering programs. tCsG graduates learn to take ideas and turn them into marketable products, where a baccalaureate graduate might be more readily
TCSG colleges help meet Georgia’s engineering technology workforce needs, the application end of the spectrum, by working closely with business and industry to design programs of study tailored to the specific needs of local and regional employers.
October 2010
prepared for a career in research and development of new products and technology. “our partnership with augusta tech on their new nEt program is a tremendous milestone in southern nuclear’s workforce development plan,” said andrew Bouldin, the southern nuclear Workforce Development Coordinator. “Last year our human resources, with support and assistance from across the fleet, presented a workforce development plan to address southern nuclear’s pipeline needs, which are most critical in the skilled areas. our educational partnerships, such as our strong relationship with augusta tech, are key in sparking interest in nuclear careers and preparing future nuclear workers. “e program has many benefits to southern nuclear,” added Bouldin. “It provides a meaningful opportunity for local high school graduates to prepare for careers in nuclear energy, and it creates a potential pipeline of candidates for upcoming positions at Plant Vogtle.” “Representatives from southern nuclear worked with the college president and vice president of academic affairs along with deans and instructors to evaluate current course offering and ensure that the learning objectives from the Institute of nuclear Power operations. uniform Curriculum was addressed,” said Charlie nesbitt, aP1000 training Deployment Manager. “the resulting new nEt program consists of enhanced existing courses as well as newly developed nuclear-specific classes.” is nEt degree is part of an answer to the engineering shortage in Georgia and fits perfectly in the area that augusta technical College serves. It follows previous programs in the Information and Engineering technology Division at augusta tech that have proven to be pacesetters in workforce
development, like Electronics and Computer Engineering technology (ECEt) and Mechanical Engineering technology (MEt). ECEt and MEt have graduated students who are continuing their education through articulation agreements with four-year colleges like southern Polytechnic state university (sPsu) in Marietta. the leadership at sPsu understands the value of articulation agreements with students who have earned a tCsG associate of applied science degree and want to add to their education and build their career choices. e development and implementation of these programs demonstrate that tCsG is ready and willing to serve the individual needs of Georgia’s business and industry. In addition, these programs provide opportunities for stu-
Building Your Future in Engineering
dents to obtain stable and lucrative careers in the field of engineering technology in as little as two years. v
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The University of Georgia
Report’s Best Colleges 2008 and being name as the fourth best-valued university by Kiplinger magazine last year. With expansive learning centers, including the newly built 100,000-square-foot tate Center two, award-winning food services, and exceptional recreation and health centers, uGa students receive an unparalleled college experience. In between classes, students can study on the beautiful, historic north Campus or walk the quaint streets of downtown athens, where stars like John Mayer and R.E.M. caught their first big breaks. as a classical liberal arts university and a land grant institution, the university of Georgia has been a leader in agricultural engineering since the 1930s with degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s and PhD level. In the early 1990s, uGa’s engineering program added biological engineering to its list and in 2006 added degrees in environmental, biochemical, and computer systems engineering to respond to the growing needs for energy, human health, and technology education in today’s society. Currently, engineering undergrads at uGa can pursue bachelor’s degrees in the following disciplines; B.s and M.s in Biochemical Engineering, B.s in Computer systems Engineering, B.s and M.s in Environmental Engineering, B.s. and M.s in Biological Engineering, Founded in 1785, the university of Georgia prides itself as being the nation’s first state-chartered university and the birthplace for public education. today, the university of Georgia still impresses, hosting some of the most remarkable and enthusiastic students in the nation. uGa students annually receive some of the most prestigious scholarships awarded to american undergraduates. In 2007, uGa was the only public university to have two recipients of the Rhodes scholarship, giving uGa a total of 21 Rhodes scholars in its history. one student received a 2008 Barry M. Goldwater scholarship, giving uGa a total of 33 Goldwater recipients, and one student received a 2008 harry truman scholarship, bringing the total number of uGa truman winners to 15. a student also received a Morris udall scholarship in 2008, the third in recent years. In the 2007-2008 academic year, uGa was the only public university in the country with winners of Rhodes, truman, Goldwater, and udall scholarships. uGa also consistently ranks high on the list of top 50 public universities in the nation, placing 20th on u.s news and World
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October 2010
B.s and M.s in agricultural Engineering and a Ph.D. in Biological & agricultural Engineering. to enhance its impressive array of educational offerings, uGa’s engineering program continues to add new courses and introduce innovative teaching methods such as synthesis and design courses and virtual reality educational techniques. uGa’s engineering faculty specialize in a range of leading research areas such as biophotonics, waste management, sustainable systems, bioenergy, microfluidics, nanomaterials, electrochemical systems, engineering ecology, and engineering education. Many engineering students engage in undergraduate research experiences with faculty mentors. uGa provides an engineering education in a liberal arts environment. is environment prepares graduates to be technically excellent in science, mathematics, analysis and synthesis, to have an innovative curiosity for creative adaptation from learning, unlearning and relearning, and to have a humanistic consciousness grounded in humanities, arts, and social sciences. Engineering academic programs encourage students to think both critically and creatively. and because the program is small, engineering students at uGa develop mentoring relationships with faculty as a part of a well rounded educational experience. unlike its technical-school counterparts, engineering undergrads at uGa benefit from a learning environment that imitates the diversity of the society in which they will live and work. students build a network of friends and faculty that excel in every field from business to law and other science majors like infectious diseases and biology that will help them advance throughout their careers. overall, uGa’s engineering program develops each of its students into active and engaged engineers who will be unafraid of a challenge and ready to enter practice aer graduation. v
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA FACTS tuition and Fees typical Residence halls typical 7-Day Meal Plan tuition, Room & Board Estimated Books & supplies Estimated Living Expenses total Cost
Georgia Resident $7,736 4,772 3,688 $17,196 1,030 1,510 $19,736
Building Your Future in Engineering
out-of-state Resident $26,946 4,772 3,688 $35,406 1,030 1,510 average starting salaries: $37,946 Professional Development hours:
50-55K/yr. no
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Introduce a Girl to Engineering 2011
typically, over 200 middle-school students are involved, from 40 to 50 schools throughout Georgia, including home schooled students. space is available for at least ten booths, with five to six hands-on activities going on at the same time. e parents are also included in the IaG day program through a separate Parents presentation that helps get them ready to prepare their daughters for a future in Engineering. In 2010 IaG started an Engineers Bowl, which appears to be a successful new tradition at the luncheon program. In this event the girls compete as tables of ten (led by a Gt student mentor) to correctly answer multiple choice questions related to science and engineering. two of the questions that were asked this past year are: (answers below)
1.
F
or the 11th consecutive year, the Georgia tech’s Women-in-Engineering (WIE) program, IBM, and professional women in the engineering field in Georgia will collaboratively sponsor the Georgia’s Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (IaG) on February 12, 2011, from 10am to 2pm. In the past two years the event has been held at the Georgia tech hotel Conference Center at technology square. e 2011 event will be held on the main Georgia tech campus student Center, offering students a glimpse of campus life. e IaG event offers middle school girls (Grades 6th, 7th and 8th) an opportunity to participate in hands-on engineering activities and booths with the assistance of Gt female college students and professionals in the Georgia engineering community. Previous activities have included building solar panels, taking apart hair dryers, monitoring and moving traffic through computer simulations, and, the returning favorite, computer controlled robot dinosaurs. associations such as the society of Women Engineers (sWE), american society of Civil Engineers (asCE), and american society of heating and Refrigeration Engineers (ashRE) have manned display booths giving the girls a glimpse of what different types of engineers do for a living. Entities such as IBM, Georgia Power, and Georgia Dot have also set up booths and shared the exciting world of engineering in action. e hands on activities and booths are designed to ignite an early interest in engineering. e students are also treated to a luncheon program with an engineering theme.
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e standard unit of measurement used for measuring force is which of the following? a)Watt, B)Kilogram, C) newton or D) Mile
February 12, 2011
2.
Which president also worked as an engineer? a) abraham Lincoln, B) Ronald Reagan, C) Jimmy Carter or D) George W. Bush e winning table all received gi certificates for Bed, Bath and Beyond. (Even though they are future engineers, they are still girls and all girls love BB&B!) an optional scholarship program is also a part of the annual event. scholarships are awarded to deserving students for math and science camps throughout the southeast, including Georgia techs Engineering and Computing tEC Camp and the nasa space Camp in huntsville, alabama. Forty-nine students submitted scholarship applications for the scholarships last year.
It would be best to hear the benefits of this event and the scholarships from last year’s nasa Camp scholarship winner from Creekland Middle school in Canton, Georgia:
October 2010
Building Your Future in Engineering
Dear IAG Committee, Thank you for the opportunity you afforded me to go to Space Academy at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. I spent a fun-filled week making new friends and participating in several educational activities. The space and robotics track which I participated in was awesome! We were divided into teams to design and program a robot for space exploration. As engineers, we built objects to attach to our robots. In our role as programmers, our challenge was to program the robot to complete its duties. During the week, we became more familiar with our robots and the importance of robotics in past, present, and future space exploration. At the conclusion of the week, we participated in a simulated Space Shuttle mission. We could choose to work in the orbiter, Mission Control, or the International Space Station. As the Mission Scientist in Mission Control, I was responsible for helping the scientists in the International Space Station when problems arose. During the week, we also participated in other activities such as watching IMAX movies about space, swimming, and learning about the history of the space program. Thank you again for this experience which I will remember for the rest of my life. I greatly appreciate the scholarship and the honor you gave to me. scholarships are awarded based on a combination of grades (20% all grades, 30% math and science grades), extracurricular activities and awards (25%) and a 750 word essay (25%) that answers a question related to Engineering. If you are interested in hosting a booth or becoming a part of the energetic women of Engineering in Georgia that host this event, please contact Georgene Geary, IaG Chair, at 404-608-4712 or sandy song, WIE, at 404-385-1862 or visit the IaG Web site at www.engineersweek.com. e IaG Committee typically meets the last Wednesday of the month at noon, at Georgia tech’s WIE office. (answers to questions: 1-a, 2-C) IaG: to introduce and inspire young women to naturally incorporate engineering, science and mathematics into their future aspirations. v
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e Georgia Engineering Foundation (GEF), chartered in 1971, is a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization dedicated to helping future engineers through philanthropic and educational endeavors related to engineering throughout Georgia. GEF is made up of professional engineering societies and their individual members, and colleges/universities in Georgia. For over 35 years, the Georgia Engineering Foundation has awarded college scholarships to worthy Georgia students who are preparing for a career in engineering or engineering technology. since 1985, over 600 students have received scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $5,000. In 2009, scholarships totaling $50,500 were awarded to 39 worthy engineering scholars. all scholarships are competitively awarded based on the student’s demonstrated competence in academics, interest in developing a career in engineering, financial need, and school and community involvement. scholarship and program fund-
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ing comes from engineering societies, named scholarships/endowments, individuals, and corporations. applications are accepted from april 1st through august 31st each year, and awards are presented at the annual Banquet in november. to find out more about the requirements, please visit us on the Web at www.GEFinc.org. GEF is also involved in pre-collegiate programs and supports the efforts of MathCounts and the Exploring Engineering academy—a science appreciation two week workshop for seventh and eighth graders at Georgia tech. GEF also gives to the Benjamin E. Mays high school, the Rockdale Magnet school, and the uGa science Fair. For more information on the Georgia Engineering Foundation or to find out how you can get involved, please visit our Web site at www.GEFinc.org or call (404) 5212324.
October 2010
Building Your Future in Engineering
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