Page 123 - Educating the Engineer of 2020: Adapting Engineering Education to the New Century

Educating the Engineer of 2020: Adapting Engineering Education to the New Century
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11338.html

106 EDUCATING THE ENGINEER OF 2020

•a superb command of engineering fundamentals
•a broad perspective on the role of engineering in society
• the creativity to envision new solutions to problems
• the entrepreneurial skills to bring these visions to reality

The Olin curriculum is designed to give students all of these capabili-
ties. Rigorous technical courses and hands-on projects throughout the
curriculum require that students apply engineering concepts to real
problems. Interdisciplinary courses and projects make explicit connec-
tions in the technical world and between engineering and society. Ex-
tensive design experiences, significant work in the arts and humanities,
and an emphasis on original expression encourage students to develop
and apply their creativity. Continuous use of teamwork, communica-
tion skills, and entrepreneurial thinking give students the tools they
need to take their solutions from the research laboratory to the world at
large.
The Olin curriculum consists of three phases (Figure 2): founda-
tion, which emphasizes mastering and applying technical fundamentals

FIGURE 2 Structure of the Olin curriculum. Projects occupy an increasing proportion
of the curriculum as students progress from foundation to specialization to realization.

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