My Major

From the Iphone all the way to an Xbox, technology has become omnipresent in today's society. However, recreation is not the only form of technological dominance. Advancements in the medical field, through engineering, have allowed us to create, recreate, design, whatever you may call it, various vital organs with inventions such as prosthetic limbs or regenerated tissue.

Wikipeadia Commons. "Mad Scientist." November 30, 2006. Free Documentation License. 

1. What do students in your major learn how to do?

As engineers, we are in charge of envisioning and creating to improve our world. In my major, we learn how to work our way backwards from the endpoint and find a way to actually get to that endpoint. Naturally, the foundation of engineering is physics, math and science; however, just like learning to play an instrument, engineers must also learn how to "engineer." Despite its mathematical basis, engineering also takes communication, patience and most importantly, creativity. Through creative projects, calculus differentiation and team building, we are able to learn what it takes to become an engineer. 

2. What do people who get this degree usually go to for work?

Creating something from nothing takes a lot of brain power; therefore, engineers must work together in teams. They can usually fall into one of four categories: communicator, problem solver, analyst or planner. However, engineers aren't limited to just one category. Engineers work together on various projects. Some engineers even oversee these projects and manage companies. In biomedical engineering, people work together to create medical technologies, such as prosthetic legs or even artificial hearts.

3. What drew you to this field?

I have always loved math and science and trying to figure out the mechanics of things. Because of this, I figured engineering would be a perfect way to explore my passions for math and science. Also, engineers work in teams to better the world; we all have a desire to "change the world" and I personally felt I would make the most impact in a field where I could actually create things to improve the quality of living. Finally, all the engineers have been some of the most ethical, kind and incredibly brilliant people I've met thus far in my life. It would be a privilege to be surrounded and work with such special people.

4. Who are the leaders/most exciting people involved in your field right now? Why? These could be individual people or specific companies, organizations, businesses or non-profits.

Based on an article in Forbes, the top three companies in the field of engineering are NASA, Google, and Boeing. NASA's employees all work to engineer devices, such as telescopes and rockets, that help us understand our universe; also, they develop advancements in aviation and alternative transportation, which allows us to travel to places unknown. Google looks for employees who are team oriented leaders to work together to "solve our biggest problems." All three companies work to help improve the quality of life through engineering. The top three are the key to the engineering field because of their size and presence within our country.

5. What are the leading academic/scholarly journals in your field? Where are they published? Give us the names and locations of at least 3.

The Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering was ranked first out of 72 in academic journals for biomedical engineering. It is posted by Annual Reviews, which is located in Palo Alto, California. It's a scientific journal intended to keep scientists and engineers updated in new advancements in medical technology. Another popular academic journal is "The Critical Review in Biomedical Engineering." It's published by Begell House twice a month that covers various subjects within biomedical engineering. Finally, Biotechnology and Bioengineering was rated in the top 100 of most influential journals in biology and medicine. It's publish in Wiley Online Library and it's editor is Daniel Wang. 


Reflection:
Morgan's post taught me the main goals of psychology. Learning the way of the mind has always been interesting to me; I like to understand things and people and their thought processes. However, I do not think I could only study that; maybe just a class or two. Also, Morgan made me realize it is okay to not have everything figured out yet and to just enjoy taking classes and learn.  Nick taught me that I am not the only one who doesn't know what to do with an engineering degree. This makes me feel better that I know someone enrolled in similar classes to mine and has similar passions as I do. I feel as though having such a friend will help an support me through my endeavors. I also really appreciate we both want to be engineers for the same reason: helping others. It's nice to know there are people like me in my field.