Feature

Categorising Engineering

The role of engineers is often misunderstood.

By John Blakeley

Professional engineers are a very significant group within the science and technology workforce, with at least 6,000 working in New Zealand. This is about one and a half times the number of working scientists, if we exclude scientists whose principal role is teaching.

People are often confused, however, about what professional engineers actually do. They think engineers investigate mechanical failures or chemical plant explosions. Hence, engineers are seen as `doers' rather than thinkers or researchers. Consequently, engineers involved in research and development are often referred to as scientists. Both in their training and in their work, however, they are clearly practising engineers.

This confusion as to how engineering fits into the science/technology spectrum may be reduced by defining the terms in question.

Science is an organised body of knowledge which covers the broad field of human understanding related to natural and material phenomena, and is concerned with facts held together by principles. Technology, in the passive sense, is a body of information of practical use, developed either from the application of science or by acquiring knowledge in some other way. Technology, in the active sense, is the harnessing of scientific or empirical knowledge through management, application and innovation within economically viable constraints. Engineering uses materials and applies the power and forces within nature, making use of both science and technology as appropriate within economically viable constraints.

Clearly, there is a big overlap between engineering and technology, but technology does cover knowledge not included within engineering. In addition, technology can be defined as passive or active, whereas engineering is always active.

If we accept the passive definition of technology, then both science and technology can be regarded as the repositories of knowledge. The doers who use this knowledge are called scientists, engineers and technologists.

Although a high proportion of technological work is carried out by engineers, there is considerable difference between an engineer and a technologist. Many engineers in their daily work make considerable use of scientific principles as well as technology.

It is also a mistake to use the word "science" to include technology. This downgrades technology, which is too important to be subjugated for the sake of linguistic convenience.

It seems that scientists tend to use the word "science" whenever they wish to make lofty statements. They then throw in the words "and technology" whenever they want to express the importance of what they are doing to the economic benefit of the nation.

John Blakeley is the executive director of the Centre for Advanced Engineering at the University of Canterbury.