Audience 1: Structural Engineers

Thanks to UCSD, I am an expert at looking at and solving for forces and stresses. I am an expert in structural analysis, looking at random beams that are subjected to perfect concentrated point loads and perfectly uniformed distributed loading. Another thing I have become really good at is making assumptions and trying to keep things simple.

In one of our senior design courses, we finally get to exercise our design skills but it becomes very apparent that there are many things we are unfamiliar with that will show up in the real world. For instance, the crane operates with a turn table motor, a winch, a trolley motor, and electromagnets. Each component moving and applying non uniform loads to a region that can move along the crane. In addition, there is an entire dynamic side of this structure that is very complicated and can’t be studied with statics. Much of structural design is this way. Simplifying the complex by making an assumption that will allow the design to work.

Audience 2: Non-engineers

Many times, I have come across a large problem and not known where to start. For instance, I’ve had to write many, long papers for design projects. In each project, I am designing some structure like a bridge or a building. If someone told you to come up with a bridge design on the spot, the first question that should come to mind is “a bridge for what?”. They might give you an exact amount and have an idea for what the traffic may be or they may not have a clue. The type of assumptions we make are probably similar to those you may make if you had to prepare food for a party. “How much food should I get?” If the party is in a small room, perhaps buying food for fifteen to twenty would suffice. If the party was held in ballroom or auditorium, you might want to buy for fifty, for a hundred, or more. In both situations, designing a structure or buying food for an unknown amount of people, we envision the most probably worst case scenario. The structure could be loaded with a continuous traffic of people and perhaps have extra weight from snow or wind. For the party, the room could be filled but of course it can only filled to as the room would allow for a comfortable party setting. Making educated guesses like this is what engineers do and what UCSD has made me an expert in addition to looking at how a building behaves.