Educating engineers in design

And what do we need to teach? We don't. We need to give the opportunity to gain experience and awareness in multi-disciplined team environments and let the confidence of youth loose on a prepared world. What can we give students in a university department? Experience of working in multidisciplinary teams working on realistic projects. The Visiting Professor's role in this is to develop appreciation of the power of ideas and the value that transferring knowledge can have. The world is changing rapidly, with a trend towards globalisation, international supply chains and widely dispersed design and manufacturing teams. Engineering products and the processes by which they are created are becoming increasingly complex. It is essential that engineers address the whole life cycle of the systems and products they create to ensure they meet the long-term needs of society. At the same time they must use natural resources wisely and produce the minimum impact on the environment. The task of educating engineers for their future roles in society is both daunting and exciting. Building on the strong developments in design education that started in many universities during the 1980s, the Academy has made a truly significant impact through its Visiting Professors Scheme in Principles of Engineering Design. This can be seen from the examples of good practice set out in this book. Over 200 senior engineers have contributed their knowledge and time to the Scheme since its inception in 1989. In collaboration with the universities, the Academy looked for individuals with strong links with the commercial world, both industrial and professional, and substantial and distinguished experience. Both design education and industrial practice have benefited. The Visiting Professors ensured that current industrial practice, technical and managerial, was introduced into design education and project work in the universities. They also provided a channel for a flow of ideas and research results back into industrial practice. The Academy is committed to inspiring the next generation of engineers. To that end the Visiting Professors Scheme has made an outstanding contribution to date – and will continue to do so for many years to come. On behalf of the Academy, I would like to express our deep appreciation to all those who have made the Scheme such a success. Preface Prompted by the importance placed on engineering design education by the accreditation bodies of the professional institutions, many excellent developments in design education took place in the …