Introduction to Engineering Research. Wendy C. Crone
and Interim Dean, where I provided leadership for all aspects of the graduate student experience, including admissions, academic services, academic analysis, funding, professional development, and diversity. At the time, the University of Wisconsin–Madison Graduate School had a diverse graduate student cohort of ~9,000 in over 140 Master’s and 100 doctoral fields across the University. I learned an immense amount from my colleagues in the Graduate School and my faculty and staff colleagues across the University who devote time and energy to graduate education. These experiences and interactions also allowed me to see graduate education from a broader perspective beyond that of the graduate programs in the College of Engineering where I have served as a graduate advisor and research mentor for over 20 years. This book draws from this range of experiences to provide the best guidance and advice I can give to those entering engineering research at the undergraduate or graduate level.
Wendy C. Crone
February 2020
Credits
| Table 3.1 | Adapted with permission from C. Eugene Allen, Emeritus Dean and Distinguished Teaching Professor, and Former Associate Vice President for International Programs, Vice President and Provost, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN. |
| Sec. 3.7 | Strategies for recognizing and overcoming bias adapted with permission from Molly Carnes, Eve Fine, Manuela Romero, and Jennifer Sheridan. “Breaking the Bias Habit.” Women in Science and Engineering Leadership Institute (WISELI), University of Wisconsin–Madison, https://wiseli.wisc.edu. |
| Figures 4.1–4.4 | Reproduced from Gall, K., Dunn, M. L., Liu, Y., Labossiere, P., Sehitoglu, H., and Chumlyakov, Y. I. (2002). Micro and macro deformation of single crystal NiTi. Journal of Engineering Materials and Technology, 124(2):238–245, with the permission of ASME. |
| Reproduced from Maboudian, R. and Howe, R. T. (1997). Critical review: Adhesion in surface micromechanical structures. Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology B: Microelectronics and Nanometer Structures Processing, Measurement, and Phenomena, 15(1):1–20, with the permission of the American Vacuum Society. | |
| Questions on page 85 | From The Thinker’s Guide to Engineering Reasoning: Based on Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools, 2nd ed., (“the work”) Richard Paul © 2013. Used by permission of Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group. All rights reserved. |
| Page 97 | Courtesy of Springer Nature. |
| Sec. 5.7.1 | D.I.S.O.R.D.E.R. Framework used with permission of Lisa Newton, Professor Emerita of Philosophy, Fairfield University. |
| Page 129 | Reprinted by Permission of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE). www.nspe.org |
| Page 153 | Tips for interacting with the public from Bringing Nano to the Public: A Collaboration Opportunity for Researchers and Museums by Wendy C. Crone, 2006. Reprinted with permission of the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network, Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN. www.nspe.org |
| Figure 7.1 | From Escape from the Ivory Tower by Nancy Baron. © 2010, by the author. Reproduced by permission of Island Press, Washington, DC. |
| Assignment 8-1 | Laboratory-to-Popular assignment adapted with permission from Caitilyn Allen, Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin–Madison. |
| Sec. 8.4.1 | Writing Workshop and “Some Suggestions for Responding to a Colleague’s Draft” developed in collaboration with Bradley Hughes, Director of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Writing Center. |
| Contribution list in Sec. 8.5 | From Responsible Conduct of Research by A. E. Shamoo and D. B. Resnik. © 2009 Oxford University Press. Used by permssion. |
| Page 203 | Photo by Edna M. Kunkel |
CHAPTER 1
Introduction to Engineering Research
1.1 WHO IS THIS BOOK FOR?
The information provided within these chapters is designed for both first-year graduate students and undergraduate students engaging in on-campus or summer research opportunities. For those already in a graduate program, some portions of Chapter 2 will not be relevant. For those just beginning to consider graduate study as a future path, the later chapters will provide you important information for undergraduate research you are currently undertaking as well as some insights on what is ahead of you as you transition into graduate school.
Rather than being an exhaustive resource, this book is meant to supplement your interactions with research mentors, advisors, and peers. There are also other numerous references cited and bibliographies provided that will help you to delve into more detail on particular subjects. You should strive to seek out multiple perspectives on critical topics of importance to you as you move through your engineering research experience.
1.2 HOW RESEARCH IS DIFFERENT
Engineering research is a very different endeavor than the traditional coursework that you have taken up to this point in your academic career. Research is a process of discovery, which means that it has a very open-ended quality as a result. This open-endedness may not be something you are as initially comfortable with depending on your background, but the prior knowledge and the skills that you have developed thus far are still valuable and will help you make a contribution with your research.
Discovery is not done in a vacuum. There is nearly always some prior work in an area or related field that can help us build a foundation from which we can launch our work. The research of today builds upon the findings of yesterday. You may find that you are building on work ranging from 5 months to 50 years ago, so understanding what has come before is an essential part of the process. If your purpose is discovery, then there is no point in rediscovering something that is already known and published. Sometimes, however, as part of the process, you may want or need to replicate the work of others, either as a way to learn a technique or to confirm those results.
Research should also be a mentored experience. You will have many people—your peers, those a bit ahead of you in their studies, staff, and faculty—who you will interact with and rely on for direction, advice, and support. In contrast to the image that many have of research, it is not a solitary activity. In fact, much of the engineering research that is done today occurs in a team environment. These teams are frequently interdisciplinary and may include people from a range of engineering and non-engineering disciplines. Working with people from other disciplines helps us to tackle challenges and open research questions that we might not otherwise be able to make progress on alone. The research group that you work within may be a handful of people or an international collaboration that numbers in the hundreds. Either way, cultivating the relationships within this group and connecting with people related to your research, both on and off campus, will be a critical factor in your success.
The undertaking of research is also something we do with our colleague’s and society’s trust that we will behave ethically. As individuals within a broader community of researchers, we have the obligation to be responsible and honest. This is required in all aspects of the work, from the design of an experiment to the publication of the results. Our analysis must be conducted with an impartial eye; the results must be presented without manipulation; and, discussion of our research with the broader community of scholars and the public must be done with integrity. With these principles in mind, you will have the best opportunity to create new knowledge, advance understanding in your field, and become a respected member of your discipline.
Ultimately, your goal will be to make what is often referred to as a “unique contribution” to your field. This may seem a daunting task as you enter into research, but as you gain more knowledge about your research area you will soon find that there are a number of things that are not known. You, with the help of your research mentor, will be able to identify an area where you can pursue the creation of new knowledge. It will likely leverage the work of those who have come before you, both in the research group you have joined and in the field as a whole, but you will find a way to make a contribution that is your own. Eventually, you will find that you begin to surpass your research mentor