Engineering and Design
Missions 105-305
Key Question: What are the real world career applications for Engineering and Design skills?
Objectives- By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
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Understand the real world applications of Engineering and Design as it relates to Aviation
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Describe some of the careers that utilize Engineering and Design in Aviation
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Explain the educational requirements for a career in Engineering and Design
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Know which STEM skills are critical for a career in this field
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Understand a day in the life of an Engineer or Designer working in Aviation
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Evaluate job prospects in a chosen field
Reading and Resource Links:
​If you are the type of person who wonders how things work, how they fit together, or think you could do it better - you’re probably a future engineer. The broad definition of Engineering is: “The branch of science and technology concerned with the design, building, and use of engines, machines, and structures”. But that is only a partial definition, as the science of engineering has expanded to almost every part of our daily life. A more comprehensive definition might be:
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“Engineering is the application of mathematics, empirical evidence and scientific, economic, social, and practical knowledge in order to invent, innovate, design, build, maintain, research, and improve structures, machines, tools, systems, components, materials, and processes”.
There are many areas & types of engineering; mechanical, structural, electrical, chemical, computer, systems, aerospace, and many more. Sound engineering practices are the foundation of almost every technological advancement made since man first appeared on the Planet. For a more comprehensive list and explanation of the various engineering professions click here.
Your STEM Flights experience will focus on Aviation Engineering and a bit of Design. But even this type of engineering has many components; aircraft design & testing, airport engineering, airspace, and many more. For more information on Aviation Engineering click here.
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You will plan a mission that includes aircraft performance, test measurements, design characteristics, and actual demonstration of maneuvers you have selected.
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Links
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https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=engineering+definition&qpvt=engineering+definition&FORM=VDR
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STEM standards: STEM Career Exploration; Research; non-fiction writing
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Terms and Definitions: Aviation Engineering; Aviation Design
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Pre-Flight Activity: Choose one Aviation Engineering or Aviation Design Career to research- use the linked resources above to get started. Write a 2-3 paragraph summary of your findings, including the information below (at a minimum). Use complete sentences, proper punctuation and capitalization.
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Which career did you choose to explore?
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What are the educational requirements to be considered for this career?
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What types of STEM skills could you focus on now, to be able to do this job in the future?
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What is the average salary for this job?
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Is the job market for Aviation Engineering and Design careers currently strong? Is it projected to change in the next 10 years?
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Describe a typical work day for the career you chose.
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After selecting your Mission, please complete your assignment by clicking on the Google Doc link below. Select 'Make a Copy' and complete the task. Then, SHARE your assignment with stemedu@stemflights.org so that our team is able to mark your Pre-Flight Mission as complete. lease reach out to us directly if you have any questions. Thank you!
Link to complete and upload your assignment: Click Here
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Conclusions and Takeaways: There are many options for careers in Aviation Engineering and Design. It is important to develop strong science and math skills now, in order to be able to pursue a career in this field in the future.