Natalya,
Your questions and comments are very interesting. I recently completed my Ph.D. in Civil Engineering and now work in construction management. As you point out, the wants and needs between academia and industry seem to be misaligned; at least in construction management and engineering. However, in my opinion, these differences can be boiled down to time horizons. When I was in academia, the majority of the research projects I found extremely interesting described BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals, as described in the book From Good to Great). These are objectives with seem almost impossible to achieve in a short period of time. As an academic, I was encouraged and expected to think big. What is also found is that in the long-term (say 15 years), the industry adopts many of these BHAGs proposed by academics.
On the other hand, most engineering businesses have and want to achieve their goals in short periods. After all, committing to a 10 or 15-year objective can be an overwhelming endeavor for an organization that is in business to make money, and ripping the benefits may take much longer than most professionals are willing to wait for.
I went back to the industry to try to answer some of the questions you pose. Where is the middle ground between being an innovator and a dreamer while also understanding the day-to-day needs of most professionals in engineering?
I hope this helps to enlighten this topic.
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Carlos Zuluaga Ph.D.,EI,A.M.ASCE
Columbia, MD
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-04-2019 13:08
From: Natalya Sokolovskaya
Subject: The interface between academia and industry in Engineering
I'd like to hear about people's experiences or be pointed to interesting discussions and resources on the interface between the academical and consulting/industry worlds in the engineering field. I expect engineering to be different from some other theoretical academic fields, because it's an applied discipline. Here are some possible discussion points:
- In addition to conferences, what are some of the mechanisms for collaboration between academia and the 'real world'?
- What are some of the research needs you face in your field as a practicing engineer? Are there resources for aspiring Ph.D students, for example, to see where the most urgent research needs are in their field from industry's standpoint?
- As a client, have you been frustrated with an 'answer' provided by academical research to your question (too vague, too complicated)?
- As an academic, did you feel that the requirements/questions asked from your research by the industry client are too narrow or unrealistic
- I've managed to have felt both ways. While working for a consulting company, I remember feeling annoyed when an academic consultant gave an 'it depends' answer, rather than something that could be used directly in the regulation we were helping to draft. This didn't stop me from feeling equally annoyed when I was a part of an academic consulting team, and a client wanted a 'number from 1 to 10'. It's human to feel right whatever side you happen to be on.
- Or did you have a good collaboration experience that you'd like to share?
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Natalya Sokolovskaya P.E.,M.ASCE
Wynnewood PA
(323)382-6176
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