Facilities engineering

Abstract: Engineering education today does not appear to be keeping pace with the broader challenges facing practising engineers, in terms of the need to address not only technological change, but also the social, economic, environmental and sustainability aspects of engineering endeavours. This paper argues that engineering education is approached in terms of engineering science with an overemphasis on theoretical, scientific and technical aspects of engineering, at the expense of the development of capability in dealing with engineering problems in an increasingly complex world, and answering to an increasingly diverse range of stakeholders. The paper further argues that the emphasis on research in universities, and on promotion by research at the expense of teaching, is further exacerbating this inability of engineering academia to adapt to new methods of teaching that will result in the consideration of these wider perspectives of engineering in context. The paper suggests some ways forward, including a focus on industry placements for staff, and overseas experience for students in real engineering projects of benefit to the third world.

Abstract: The need of a neutron source for the qualification of materials to be used in future fusion power reactors have been recognized in the European (EU) fusion programme for many years. The construction and exploitation of this facility is presently considered to be in the critical path of DEMO. This issue prompted the EU to launch activities for the design and engineering of the IFMIF-DONES (International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility-DEMO Oriented Neutron Source) facility based on and taking profit of the results obtained in the IFMIF/EVEDA (Engineering Validation and Engineering Design Activities) project, presently conducted in the framework of the EU-Japan Bilateral Agreement on the Broader Approach to Fusion. These activities and R&D work for the IFMIF-DONES Plant are presently taking place in the framework of a work package of the EUROfusion Consortium, in direct collaboration with the Fusion for Energy Organization. The main objective of these activities is to consolidate the design and the underlying technology basis in order to be ready for IFMIF-DONES construction as early as possible. The paper presents the main engineering results for a generic site obtained during the first years of design work, as indicated in the recently released IFMIF-DONES Preliminary Engineering Design Report, making emphasis on the design evolution from previous phases and on the critical issues to be further developed in the near future. The proposed European site to host the facility (Granada, Spain) is briefly introduced as well.

Abstract: The question, "what is engineering management?" has certainly been addressed before in both professional articles and textbooks. However, it seems appropriate to again address this question because of the renewed interest in engineering management. This renewed interest comes in many forms, but two stand out. The first is the increasing trend to give engineering management assignments earlier and earlier in a new engineering graduate's career. The second is the emphasis of engineering management skills in ABET 2000 in the undergraduate engineering program. Both of these initiatives seem to be led by industry and may be a direct result of industry's interest in engineering management skills as a competitive advantage as well as their downsizing practices, which have resulted in the more experienced engineers retiring early and their responsibilities being pushed down to the more junior engineers. If you believe, as does this author, that before you can become a good engineering manager you should first be a good engineer, then the trend of giving management assignments before engineers have had an opportunity to become well grounded in their engineering disciplines should be disturbing. This could eventually affect a company's ability to continue to play a leadership role in introducing new technologies. Hence, the question "what is engineering management?" is an important question. This article attempts to answer the question by addressing when engineering management skills are needed in an engineer's career.