This article explores the job responsibilities of a Senior Mechanical Engineer, the skills required to excel at this position, and how this occupation relates to climate change and green solutions.
Students will learn that project management is a big aspect of this role, organizational skills and interdisciplinary engineering knowledge are must-haves for this position, and Senior Mechanical Engineers are part of the solution for building eco-friendly buildings that have a lower carbon footprint.
Teaching Tips
Positives
Most of this article's information comes directly from a Senior Mechanical Engineer.
This article does a good job of stressing the importance of the humanities and STEM.
Additional Prerequisites
It may be useful if students know the difference between soft skills and technical skills.
It may be beneficial if students already know about LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and what they do.
Differentiation
This resource pairs well with the Building Retrofitting article. Students can read both for a more complete picture of the work in this field.
To assess prior knowledge, the teacher can ask the class questions about mechanical engineering before reading the article.
This article can support a classroom discussion where students consider the energy efficiency of their own homes.
Students can discuss the connection between sustainability and building construction and research living buildings, which were mentioned by the interviewee.
Scientist Notes
This green career website underscores the importance of mechanical engineers and encourages young people, particularly women, to pursue careers in the field.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ETS1: Engineering Design
HS-ETS1-3 Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
HS-LS2-7 Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Reading: Informational Text (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.10 By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.
