***ENGINEER IN THE SOCIETY***
NIEEE Lagos Chapter Whatsapp Presentation, August 2016

* ENGINEERING PRACTICE IN NIGERIA

The practice of engineering is within the domain of societal interests, that is, engineering practice has an inherent impact on society. Much of the impact is based upon that relationship the engineer has with the society.
Engineering practise is guided by professional codes of conducts put together by professional bodies e.g COREN, NIEEE and NSE in Nigeria. An engineer's conduct (as captured in professional codes of conduct)is toward other engineers, toward employers, toward clients, and toward the public. Codes of professional conduct lay out a road map for professional relationships.

* WHO IS AN ENGINEER?

From hindustantimes.com   "Engineers are people who solve problems and focus on making things work more efficiently and effectively. They apply the theories and principles of science and mathematics to research and develop economical solutions to technical problems"
Also from dictionary.com   "Engineer is a person trained and skilled in the design, construction, and use of engines or machines, or in any of various branches of engineering : e.g a mechanical engineer, a civil engineer, an electrical engineer
Bringing it closer to us.." An electrical engineer is someone who designs and develops new electrical equipment, tests equipment and solves electrical problems. They work with all kinds of electronic devices, from the smallest pocket devices to large supercomputers. Electrical engineering deals with electricity, electro-magnetism and electronics".

By manipulating basic theories in mathematics and science, engineers apply their technical knowledge to conceive, design and implement new processes, products and systems that make our everyday lives easy...
Through innovation, creativity and change Engineers provide cutting edge technology for our safety, health, security, comfort and entertainment.
As an engineer you might be on the team that develop the next generation communication gadget, or a medical device that will help doctors treat an illness, or a spacecraft that will carry humans to Mars, a satellite monitoring system to stop Boko haram insurgence and traffic robbery, or a system that can bring clean water to an underdeveloped region in Nigeria, or a new power source that is sustainable and provides clean energy for remote villages, or a device that can detect toxic agents and chemicals, an energy efficient building or an earthquake safe world, or even an electrical system for a multi-million rice processing plant. the list is endless.

Some traits of Engineers are:-
•Desire to Figure Things out. ...
•Applied Creativity. ...
•Maths Skills. ...
•Electro-mechanical Skills. ...
•Listening and Problem-Solving Skills. ...
•Interpersonal and Leadership Skills

* QUALITIES OF A PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER

Some of the characteristics and qualities of great professional engineers are enumerated below:-

1.Possesses Strong Analytical Sense: A professional engineer has excellent analytical skillsets and is continually examining systems and thinking of ways to help things work better. They are naturally inquisitive, want to know whys..and whats..

2.Pays Attention to Detail: A professional engineer must pay meticulous attention to detail. The slightest error can cause an entire electrical system to fail or cause injury to people, so every detail of make of the systems must be reviewed thoroughly in the course of the project.

3.Has Excellent Communication Skills: A professional engineer is a good communicator. one of the greatest tasks of an engineer is to translate complex  technical jagons into plain English or other agreed formats of communication.He's also saddled with the responsibility of communicating verbally with clients, other engineers, technicians and stakeholders working together on a project.

4.He takes part in Continuing Professional Education: Every practicing engineer must stay on top of latest developments in the industry. Changes in technology happen rapidly, and the most successful engineers keep abreast of new research and ideas. Continuous professional development programmes must be encouraged by NIEEE, NSE and COREN and similar professional bodies. This may even form part of requirements for re-certification of membership.

5. Creativity: A great professional engineer is very creative and always thinks of new and innovative ways to develop new systems and make existing solutions work more efficiently. Finding alternative resolution and new ideas are germane quality of engineers.

6. Possess Ability to Think Logically: A professional engineer has top-notch logical skillset, largely due to background in problem modelling. They are able to make sense of complex systems and understand how things work and how problems arise. This opens up our problem solving methodology approach and our ability to figure out where the problem stems from and quickly develop a solution.

7.Is Mathematically Inclined: A great professional engineer has excellent math skills. Engineering involves complex calculations of varying difficulties, these problems can be modeled mathematically and knowledge of Algebra, Calculus, complex functions can be readily applied to solve for needed parameters.

8.Is a Team Player: A great engineer understands that he is a part of a larger team working together towards successfully delivery of projects, therefore he must be able to integrate and play well as part of that team.

9. Has Excellent Technical Knowledge: Professional engineer has a vast amount of technical knowledge. They understand a variety of computer programs and other systems that are commonly used during an engineering project. Knowledge of working tools like Autocad, Solidworks, Matlab etc. is highly essential.

>>>>Watchout for ***ENGINEER IN THE SOCIETY*** PART 2

Roles of Professional Engineering Bodies in Nigeria

Engr. Oluseyi Basorun mnse