Professional Engineering Practice in NZ

• The term ‘engineer’ was first used ca 1325 to describe ‘one who operates an engine’

• The ‘engine’ was a military device

• China, Greece, and Rome was employed military engineers

•From the Latin ‘ingenium’ “innate quality, especially mental power, hence a clever invention.” ca 1250

• William Gilbert is the first Electrical engineer. ca. 1600

• The first Mechanical Steam Engineer is Thomas Savary 1698, also James Watt about the same time

James Watt Steam Engine 1769

• The first electric motor produced in 1872, so the parts of electrical as well.

• The 4 principal engineering disciplines: Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical & Electronic, Civil

The earliest civil engineer known by name is Imhotep. As one of the officials of the   Pharaoh, Djosèr, he probably designed and supervised the construction of the   Pyramid of Djoser( Step Pyramid ) at  Saqqara in Egypt around 2630 - 2611 BC.

 

Role of Engineer

What is the role of the engineer?

• Solving problems to find solutions for product and project designs

• To interact at all stages of the design cycle with the end-user

 

What are engineering design constraints? (Sometimes called ‘design metrics’)

•COST

•SAFETY

•ABILITY TO MARKET

•ABILITY TO MANUFACTURE

ABILITY TO REPAIR & RELIABILITY

 

What happens if multiple design solutions present themselves?

•The engineer must select the optimum solution based on knowledge and experience and refer to the design metrics

 

Is the system different in the UK and NZ?

•Professional qualification takes similar time scales to France & Germany but the term ‘engineer’ is less rigorously applied

 

International Accords

1.Washington Accord

2.Sydney Accord

3.Dublin Accord

•There are Signatories  to these accords who have full rights of participation in the Accord;

•Qualifications accredited or recognised by other signatories are recognised by each signatory as being substantially equivalent to accredited or recognised qualifications within its own jurisdiction.

International Standard Bodies

•The three largest and most well-established such organizations are the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

 

Engineering Ethics

•As an engineer, you will be faced with ethical dilemmas

•They will have serious consequences, either now or in the future

•If you do the right thing it may go unnoticed, but

•If you don’t, your job/career/company/family may be hurt, along with innocent customers/users/regular people

 

1.Why is Ethics important?

(a) It

(b)It is required for Professional Engineer registration

• Ethics provides the personal judgment necessary in complex problem-solving

• Ethics provides the engineer with moral checks and balances to protect against their own selfishness and temptation

• Ethics provides a framework for the engineer to impartially balance the competing interests of self, client/customer, supplier/contractor, employer, and society.•Ethics sets the expectations

 

2. Why is Ethics difficult?

(a)Context-specific behavioural expectation

(b)No guarantee of simple answers

(c)Competing Priorities