Mathematical Components of Engineering Expertise

In the midst of all the debate in the United Kingdom about the study of mathematics by engineering students, it is remarkable that very little systematic research has been done on the way that mathematics is being used by professional engineers in their working lives. (Although, this is not to say that there are not many “feedback loops” by which professional engineers monitor and inform engineering education, via the various professional Institutions, the Engineering Council, visiting professorships in university departments, etc.). Last year, in collaboration with Professor Richard Noss, I carried out a research project with precisely that aim. “The Mathematical Components of Engineering Expertise” (MCEE) project, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, investigated the mathematical ideas and techniques used by civil engineers in professional practice, by means of interviews and observations carried out in a large, multidisciplinary engineering consulting firm. Although we do not claim any terribly novel insights, perhaps as outside observers of both engineering practice (and engineering academia) we have been able to identify some key ideas which may be regarded as “obvious” by engineers themselves. Our findings are just very briefly introduced here…