Engineers are stereotyped as being boring, introverted and hard to get along with. But in truth, engineers of today must be creative and able to work in teams to develop new and exciting products. Guest speaker Professor Charles Hollenbeck revealed this during a recent lecture given at Chaffey College. Professor Hollenbeck graduated from the UCLA School of engineering in 1967 as a mechanical engineer. After graduating, he worked as a development engineer in the aerospace industry for 4 yrs. Two years after being hired, he was laid off for six weeks. Realizing that layoffs could be common he spent those six weeks considering whether or not he wanted to continue his career in engineering. Because he had enjoyed physics …show more content…
Professor Hollenbeck showed some fascinating areas in which mechanical engineers are currently working. It is amazing what engineers are developing for the handicapped. Years ago, a person who had their legs amputated was basically consigned to a wheel chair for the rest of their life. But now, several companies have developed bionic legs. Instead of sitting in a wheel chair, patients will be able to continue with an almost normal life thanks to these new inventions. Engineers are also developing arms, hands and even eyes. A phrase that really stood out to me was “People are not handicapped, technology is.” Besides developing various members of the body, engineers are also developing satellites to orbit the earth. What once could weigh several tons, now only weighs a few pounds and can be held in your hands. Not only has the size decreased, but technology has increased. With the new satellites, the earth can be scanned once every 24 hours. This information can be made available to the public for various studies. There is much that can be done in the mechanical engineering field. Truly the sky is the