Putting Math to Work

Poly seniors build career skills in new Engineering elective.

In her presentation to fellow faculty describing this fall’s new Introduction to Engineering course, math teacher Dominika Watson joked that engineers don’t fit in the classic pessimist or optimist categories—rather than seeing a glass as half empty or half full, they recognize the glass as simply twice as big as it needs to be.

That seemingly simple perspective actually requires complex thinking; engineers must be able to identify all of the systems that are affecting a single problem. Watson (who is a Caltech-trained engineer) says her new course, drawing on a prerequisite of calculus, will demonstrate the relevance of such topics as the environment, globalization, and pop culture. “We cover the basics of estimation, conversions, and optimization along with introducing many different types of engineering,” Watson explains. “But the field is changing so rapidly, these students especially need to develop teamwork for integrating sustainability and innovation in design.”

Whether building a basic guitar, manipulating the efficiency of a washing machine, or making an actual concrete beam, Introduction to Engineering students learn the importance of keeping many sets of eyes on the bigger picture while each person approaches details with precision. This "zooming in–zooming out" skill is a critical career-oriented tool for Poly students to carry into their future studies and professional domains.

Exposure to actual work environments and specialties is central to the course. Visits to class by working engineers from the Poly community and field trips to local facilities and construction sites will help further students’ understanding of the field. Watson says the class is not test-heavy but rather built around projects and a diligently kept journal for summarizing each element of study.

“The kids are not just memorizing concepts in this class,” Watson notes. “I want to see where they take the learning process because the more intellectual curiosity they develop at this stage, the happier they will be in their future work.” In a field of mathematics that is incorporating more and more elements of human nature and the environment, that curiosity is sure to serve students well.