Professor George V. Kondraske
kondraske@uta.edu
  

(MUST include EE4340_SP13 as first text in "Subject" section of ALL course e-mail. Also include a tag reflecting the topic of that e-mail. THANK YOU!)

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Integration of technical knowledge and skills with project planning, teamwork, and communication skills (written and oral). A project oriented approach is used including the preparation of literature-based research reports, research proposals, product development proposals, and project management plans. Supporting topics: technical information resources, ethics, safety, intellectual property.  Students will begin their engineering capstone design experience, including team formation, project selection, background research, and preparation of a preliminary project plan.

SYLLABUS: Please use the "Downloads" section to obtain the course syllabus.

ASSIGNMENTS: The course is structured around four major assignments. The majority of the course is oriented toward describing and discussing these challenges and then have you (the students) present your responses to these challenges. Detailed description of assignments are at ASSIGNMENTS.

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ON ENGINEERING..

It is a great profession. There is the fascination of watching a figment of the imagination emerge through the aid of science to a plan on paper. Then it moves to realization in stone or metal or energy. Then it brings jobs and homes to men. Then it elevates the standard of living and adds to the comforts of life. That is the engineer's high privilege.

The great liability of the engineer compared to men of other professions is that his works are out in the open where all can see them. His acts, step by step, are in hard substance. He cannot bury his mistakes in the grave like the doctors. He cannot argue them into thin air or blame the judge like the lawyers. He cannot, like the architects, cover his failures with trees and vines. He cannot, like the politicians, screen his shortcomings by blaming his opponents and hope the people will forget. The engineer simply cannot deny he did it. If his works do not work, he is damned. . . .

On the other hand, unlike the doctor, his is not a life among the weak. Unlike the soldier, destruction is not his purpose. Unlike the lawyer, quarrels are not his daily bread. To the engineer falls the job of clothing the bare bones of science with life, comfort, and hope. No doubt as years go by the people forget which engineer did it, even if they ever knew. Or some politician puts his name on it. Or they credit it to some promoter who used other people's money. . . . But the engineer himself looks back at the unending stream of goodness which flows from his successes with satisfactions that few professions may know. And the verdict of his fellow professionals is all the accolade he wants.

Herbert Hoover
31st President of the United States