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CHAPTER 1

Introduction to Engineering Research

1.1 WHO IS THIS BOOK FOR?

The information provided within these chapters is designed for both first-year graduate students and undergraduate students engaging in on-campus or summer research opportunities. For those already in a graduate program, some portions of Chapter 2 will not be relevant. For those just beginning to consider graduate study as a future path, the later chapters will provide you important information for undergraduate research you are currently undertaking as well as some insights on what is ahead of you as you transition into graduate school.

Rather than being an exhaustive resource, this book is meant to supplement your interactions with research mentors, advisors, and peers. There are also other numerous references cited and bibliographies provided that will help you to delve into more detail on particular subjects. You should strive to seek out multiple perspectives on critical topics of importance to you as you move through your engineering research experience.

1.2 HOW RESEARCH IS DIFFERENT

Engineering research is a very different endeavor than the traditional coursework that you have taken up to this point in your academic career. Research is a process of discovery, which means that it has a very open-ended quality as a result. This open-endedness may not be something you are as initially comfortable with depending on your background, but the prior knowledge and the skills that you have developed thus far are still valuable and will help you make a contribution with your research.

Discovery is not done in a vacuum. There is nearly always some prior work in an area or related field that can help us build a foundation from which we can launch our work. The research of today builds upon the findings of yesterday. You may find that you are building on work ranging from 5 months to 50 years ago, so understanding what has come before is an essential part of the process. If your purpose is discovery, then there is no point in rediscovering something that is already known and published. Sometimes, however, as part of the process, you may want or need to replicate the work of others, either as a way to learn a technique or to confirm those results.

Research should also be a mentored experience. You will have many people—your peers, those a bit ahead of you in their studies, staff, and faculty—who you will interact with and rely on for direction, advice, and support. In contrast to the image that many have of research, it is not a solitary activity. In fact, much of the engineering research that is done today occurs in a team environment. These teams are frequently interdisciplinary and may include people from a range of engineering and non-engineering disciplines. Working with people from other disciplines helps us to tackle challenges and open research questions that we might not otherwise be able to make progress on alone. The research group that you work within may be a handful of people or an international collaboration that numbers in the hundreds. Either way, cultivating the relationships within this group and connecting with people related to your research, both on and off campus, will be a critical factor in your success.

The undertaking of research is also something we do with our colleague’s and society’s trust that we will behave ethically. As individuals within a broader community of researchers, we have the obligation to be responsible and honest. This is required in all aspects of the work, from the design of an experiment to the publication of the results. Our analysis must be conducted with an impartial eye; the results must be presented without manipulation; and, discussion of our research with the broader community of scholars and the public must be done with integrity. With these principles in mind, you will have the best opportunity to create new knowledge, advance understanding in your field, and become a respected member of your discipline.

Ultimately, your goal will be to make what is often referred to as a “unique contribution” to your field. This may seem a daunting task as you enter into research, but as you gain more knowledge about your research area you will soon find that there are a number of things that are not known. You, with the help of your research mentor, will be able to identify an area where you can pursue the creation of new knowledge. It will likely leverage the work of those who have come before you, both in the research group you have joined and in the field as a whole, but you will find a way to make a contribution that is your own. Eventually, you will find that you begin to surpass your research mentor in specific knowledge areas and can begin to think independently about new research endeavors to undertake.

1.2.1 ENGINEERING RESEARCH DEFINED

When we hear the word research we often think of it as being synonymous with acquiring new knowledge or even developing some “objective truth.” Engineering conjures up images in our mind of applications ranging from computers to bridges. For many, engineering implies improving our way of life or driving technological advancement. When the term “engineering research” comes up, it may be hard to reconcile for some. Is it the creation of new knowledge exclusively? Is it the application of new science to existing applications? Is it the development of new applications? The answer is all of the above and more.

The basic commonality we find in all engineering research is that people are trying to answer questions that have not been asked or answered before, to solve problems that humanity will find useful in some way. We do this through a process of inquiry that relies on careful exploration using scientific method. The answers we find may be immediately applicable or they may add to a base of knowledge that will only see application at a much later date.

There is a spectrum of research from basic to applied. In many cases the same type of basic research might be found in both science and engineering departments and collaborations across these disciplines are common in such circumstances. In a report from the National Academy of Engineering, “Basic research in engineering is by definition concerned with the discovery and systematic conceptual structuring of knowledge.¹” In contrast to basic research, applied research is much more closely tied to an immediate need and may even be conducted jointly or under a research contract with a company. Across this broad spectrum, an engineering research project might be motivated by some esoteric curiosity tied to the long-term needs of humanity or by an immediate need in a particular community. Regardless of the origins of the research question, the tools we use to answer them, and the time frame in which the results will be applied, these are all a part of the spectrum of engineering research that you will find happening on a day to day basis in universities, national laboratories, and industry.

ASSIGNMENT 1-1: INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT – ENGINEERING RESEARCH DEFINED

Talk to at least three individuals spanning the spectrum of experience with research related to your general field of interest (e.g., undergraduate student researcher, graduate student researcher, postdoctoral researcher, academic staff researcher/scientist faculty member). Ask these individuals to discuss the topic of “engineering research” with you. What makes a good research question? How do they approach conducting their research? What do they find interesting/exciting about research? Write a 500-word summary of what you have heard that includes both the similarities and differences between the answers obtained from your discussions.

1.3 ENGINEERING RESEARCH CAREERS

There are a wide range of research careers available to people with an advanced degree in engineering. These careers occur most prevalently in industry, government, and academic sectors. Even within one of these sectors the types of jobs that involve research can vary dramatically.

One way to explore the range of options for engineering research careers is to take a look at current job postings in your area of study. Looking at the position descriptions can give you an idea of the work activities and job responsibilities. It will also give you an idea of qualifications and prior experience expected. Some positions may require a minimum education level of a Master’s degree (M.S.), a doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.), and/or a number of years of professional experience. Finding the kinds of positions that might interest you in the future will provide you with the components of a roadmap for the preparation you will want to pursue.

Although you will likely be most familiar with a traditional faculty position in academia from your experience as a student, the range of research-related careers within the confines of academia is quite broad. Within the faculty ranks alone, the emphasis on research varies between positions depending on the type of institution. A four-year college, for instance, might stress engagement with undergraduate research but have lower levels of expectation on research productivity and a larger amount of time committed to teaching. The research and teaching expectations at research-intensive institutions will vary, but they usually stress research with graduate students, and have a higher level of expectation for obtaining grant funding and producing publications. At larger research-intensive academic institutions there are also a number of non-tenured research positions to be aware of. These often carry titles like instrumentation specialist, scientist, and research professor.

Graduate education both at the M.S. and Ph.D. levels is valuable for people interested in a variety of career paths. Ph.D. recipients don’t just end up in academia, but are also sought after by industry and government for their expertise and ability to be innovators and thought leaders.² Research laboratories span a range of institutions from government laboratories, some with defense-related missions (e.g., Sandia National Laboratories, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Argonne National Laboratory, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory), to other nongovernmental research labs, some of them with connections to or histories with universities (e.g., Southwest Research Institute, Draper Laboratory, MIT Lincoln Laboratory). Many medium to large companies also have a research (or research and development) department, unit, or segment of the organization—a few of these being quite large and well-known research enterprises (e.g., IBM Research, GE Global Research, ExxonMobil’s Research and Engineering Technology Center, DuPont Experimental Station). The types of expertise needed and range of jobs available are quite broad as you may imagine.

In some engineering disciplines, there is a growing expectation that a person complete a postdoctoral experience after completing their Ph.D. and before obtaining that first “permanent” position. Postdoctoral research positions they are most prevalent in academic settings, particularly large, research universities, although they are also available in some industry and government sectors. These positions are usually full-time paid jobs. Some fellowship opportunities are also available for postdoctoral research positions, both in academia and national laboratories.

ASSIGNMENT 1-2: INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT – INVESTIGATING ENGINEERING RESEARCH CAREERS

Identify an engineering research job sector that you would like to learn more about: industry, government, or academia. Find three different job advertisements in that job sector using online resources such as monster.com, usa.gov, and chronicle.com. Ideally, these job postings should advertise a research position related to your area of study. Compare and contrast the positions. Consider things such as the education and prior experience required, duties and responsibilities that the position would entail, and location of the job. Choose the position that you find most interesting and identify the kinds of things you would need to do in the next 5–10 years to make yourself an ideal candidate for this position.

¹National Academy of Engineering. Committee on Forces Shaping the U.S. Academic Engineering Research Enterprise, 1995. Forces Shaping the U.S. Academic Engineering Research Enterprise. National Academy Press.

²Council of Graduate Schools, 2013, Open Doors with a Doctorate.