Engineering Practice in a Global Context

Book excerpt: This volume aims to provide the reader with a broad cross-section of empirical research being carried out into engineers at work. The chapters provide pointers to other relevant studies over recent decades – an important aspect, we believe, because this area has only recently begun to coalesce as a field of study and up to now relevant empirical research has tended to be published across a range of academic disciplines. This lack of readily available literature might explain why contemporary notions of engineering have drifted far from the realities of practice and are in urgent need of revision. The principal focus is on what empirical studies tell us about the social and technical aspects of engineering practice and the mutual interaction between the two. After a foreword by Gary Lee Downey, the research presented by the various chapter authors is based on empirical data from studies of engineers working in a variety of global settings that include Australia, Ireland, Portugal, South Asia, Switzerland, the UK and the US The following groups of readers are addressed: •researchers and students with an interest in engineering practice, •professional engineers, particularly those interested in research on engineering practice, •engineering educators, •people who employ, recruit or work with engineers. Providing a much clearer picture of engineering practice and its variations than has been available until now, the book is of interest to engineers and those who work with them. At the same time it provides invaluable resource material for educators who are aiming for more authentic learning experiences in their classrooms. Further information, visit the website Engineering Practice in a Global Context Online: http://epr.ist.utl.pt/EPGC/