Developing Engineers

A Comparison Between a Typical Eng Grad Scheme and Royal Marines Basic Training

I just thought it may be worthy of a look in – a quick tally of the differences between the basic training recieved by Royal Marines in Parris Island and a typical 21st Century Graduate Engineer…

Royal Marine (Description taken from http://usmilitary.about.com/)

Arrive 7pm

Turn in all civilian clothing and possessions

Head shaved

Initial strength test / medical

One and a half mile run, 20 pull ups, 40 push ups, 44 crunches, all in under 2 minutes

Learn to refer to yourself as ‘The Recruit’

Basic drill, learn how to take shower and make bed

Begin Total Immersion Training, be told how badly you are doing.

Total Immersion training = one week intensive physical and mental conditioning. One hour free time allowed daily, 20minutes to consume each meal.

Engineering Graduate

Typical engineering graduate scheme

Arrival 9am

Wait in lobby for an hour taking advantage of free tea and biscuits.

HR induction – receive free corporate mousemat

Leisurely tour of grounds

Complimentary two course English breakfast

Listen to introductory presentations about company products

Begin graduate induction training = prepare a presentation, learn how to check your email, learn the names of the people who seem important (the ones wearing suit jackets).

Conclusions

• Engineers should strive to do 3D FEA with one hand, 44 times in two minutes with no sleep
• Marines should chill

Chapter 1

This is the beginning of my book. Being a book about grand designs, philosophy and the meaning of life, I need to be sure of making a good initial impression on the reader. If I want to have any credibility as an author I will need to appeal to all levels of scientific literacy. My aim to this end will be to provide a monologue of detail for all audiences, but every sentence or so I will throw in a reference to a less well known scientist of old or some sci-jargon reference such as ‘M-theory’.

I will rely heavily on my reputation as a modern day great mind so at least for the first chapter or two you will believe everything I say. This feeling will wane slightly as you continue to read, but your resolution will remain strong. You will read my upward-spiralling impressive theories which will be in full swing by chapter five. My attempts to reach all audiences in the early chapters will have left with the baby, the bathwater and the rest of the blank-faced bathroom a while ago.

I have been watching the recent posts about our global energy issues with much interest. The thing is interest is not enough (well, I still drove to work today and killed some trees – in fact my laptop at the moment is drawing 65W which I’m sure is at least a squirrel per week).

Action! Turn lights off – no, un-wire them an make them solar! Watch TV sparingly with the lights off. Read a book outside, go for a walk outside. Just think ‘What did people do before there was electricity / gas, and that will lead you to many fun innovations.

In other news, do we remember the Strategic Defense Security Review (SDSR)? The one that got rid of two aircraft carriers, the Nimrod and the Harrier (to name a few). Chapter 4 was titled ‘Energy Security’, which quoted, says in part:

“The UK faces a range of risks related to our ability to access secure, diverse and affordable supplies of energy, which are essential to economic stability and growth. These include political instability in key energy countries, insufficient investment in states that supply energy, and imperfections in the functioning of global and UK markets. As the box below suggests, these risks are likely to intensify over the coming years, due to our growing dependence on imports of fossil fuels at the same time that global demand and competition for energy is increasing.”

The figure below is also present, showing our reliance on gas imports:

I think we are now importing 80% of our gas usage, which is reliant on security abroad. We all, as individuals, need to be aware what world we are inheriting from the industrial revolution and act.

I read recently that a German company, PC-Aero has developed a heavier than air fixed wing aircraft capable of carrying a single person with plans to carry two persons, then four persons as the technology develops. (see video)

This raises an interesting possibility of using such technology, not just for the recreational market, but also for the aid aircraft sector. Through organisations such as Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), an aid aircraft is taking off every 3mins worldwide, accumulating tens of thousands of flying hours every day.

Such levels of flying take vast quantities of Avgas, which can be hard to find and secure in some challenging locations. What if the electric aircraft could serve in such a situation? The hangar would be  roofed with solar panels, charging the aircraft while on the ground. Given, the original outlay would be higher and maintenance costs would be higher, but the long term investment could yield a return.

At present, the technology is in its infancy and the payload capabilities are too small. Nevertheless, I see a great future for this technology, delivering aid where it is most needed.

It has been interesting reading about people’s thoughts on the evolution of the engineer in history, particularly in reference to Leonardo Da Vinci. Engineering nowadays is a completely different beast compared to times of old. A great multitude of inventions have flooded our world to make travelling faster, communication easier and productivity higher.

It does seem almost like the majority of contemporary innovations are centred around the development of current products or solutions to problems associated with past inventions! This seems to me something of a shame.

When I talk to the engineers around me, their role models are diverse: Doc Brown from Back to the Future, Copernicus the Astromoner, even the Dexter from the Cartoon Dexter’s Lab! These heros say something different to me about engineering than what we see today.

For me, the best, most wonderful engineering is that of the ‘step change’ type. The Eureka, instead of the evolutionary progress of old ideas.

What I strive for – what I would like to see, is the engineers of tomorrow dedicated to making the wild, incredible, impossibilities of the future a reality for today. We may have to tolerate the obligatory lab coats and untidy hair, but to me, the ‘Eureka’ is worth it.