So many engineers here. So, what exactly do you ... engineer?

[Russ]

I engineer bicycles! Specifically, I design manufacturing process for carbon fiber machining and bonding, i.e. put holes in things and glue them together haha.

[Taran Wanderer]

I engineer bicycles! Specifically, I design manufacturing process for carbon fiber machining and bonding, i.e. put holes in things and glue them together haha.

Where is the LIKE button?

[Philociraptor]

Mechanical. Projects and Process. Tracking parameters, designing parts, working with contractors, making machines run, etc. Work at a company that makes consumer plastic products, mostly blown film for construction film, dropcloth, garbage bags, and carryout bags.

[Kmp2]

ChemE here, I design processes for oil and gas refining and extraction. ie sizing equipment, selecting the equipment/heat/pressures/methods required to get the raw materials into the products. Currently working in the evil 'tar' sands :)

I have had to look up my differential equation math book for one calc, but I also promptly forgot why...

[MrMoogle]

Actually, has any one here ever used differential equations for anything practical/applied?

Systems Engineer here.  At my last job, if we didn't have anyone specialized in it, I would do it, so I got to play in electrical, mechanical, and software. 

If you count Laplace transforms, I have for control systems.  But that step is pretty simple, then it's all algebra or linear algebra.  Setting it up for Laplace can be difficult though...

[mm1970]

ChemE here, I design processes for oil and gas refining and extraction. ie sizing equipment, selecting the equipment/heat/pressures/methods required to get the raw materials into the products. Currently working in the evil 'tar' sands :)

I have had to look up my differential equation math book for one calc, but I also promptly forgot why...

ah, this takes me back.  My degree is in chem e.

[caseyzee]

I'm a mechanical engineer, working in manufacturing.  I make stuff.  I love, love, love my job.

[Half-Borg]

TRAAAAAAAIIIINNNSS :D
More specifally embedded software for ETCS(European Train Control System).

[GardenFun]

DH is a ChE who works for a plastics company.  He is almost done with his masters degree and does use partial differential equations in finite element modeling.  But his use of diff eq is an anomaly in his company.   

[ncornilsen]

I work in an investment casting plant... You've probably never heard of our company, yet if you've flown on a jet or space shuttle, been shot at by a hellfire missle, hit by a nuke, used electricity generated by a natural gas turbine, or had a knee/hip replaced with a Titanium part, the odds are VERY high you've interacted with the things we cast.   I am in charge of the manufacturing equipment design and installation projects for making those parts.

[jzb11]

I implement and support a quality system in manufacturing. My title is "engineer" though I didn't study engineering. I work with a specific area within the industry that is somewhat standardized, although each manufacturer has its own application of said standard. I work for third party that supplies said system to manufacturers.

[DoubleDown]

I am now an Otiosusomnintercurrological Engineer -- I optimize methods for enjoying lots of leisure, naps, and sex, at the PhD level. Prior to FIREing last year, I was a government dude with a math (i.e., wannabe engineering) degree.

[DLJ154]

Network Engineer in the technical assistance center at a major networking company... but I'm working on my MBA so soon my plan is to transition into a management role there soon.  I am hoping my technical background and overall understanding of the business will be valuable experience there and enable me to relate to those I work with. 

[EscapeVelocity2020]

Chemical Engineer, first in manufacturing and consumer products, then petrochem, and finally oil & gas (both onshore and offshore).  It's an amazingly flexible degree :)  But even better than seeing all sorts of different industries, and getting different work experience, has been travelling the world.    However, I also have reservations about recommending this profession to my son, even though he's cursed with 'the knack'... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8vHhgh6oM0

[MrsSmitty]

commercial building HVAC and controls

[rugorak]

Systems Engineer. Specifically IT systems. So networking, servers. Lots of software that doesn't really fall in a neat bucket. So email, remote access, etc. Lots of scripting.

[QueenAlice]

ChemE by degree, BiomedE in practice. I derive mathematical models (ODE, PDE, Stochastic, Bayesian...) that describe cancer progression and metastasis from the molecular level all the way through the full body level. I then write code to implement the models in different scenarios. We can use the models for various applications, for example:

• Testing novel therapeutics to predict their impact on the human body. I'm hoping this predictive medicine methodology will decrease the need for animal/human testing in the future :)
• Investigating biological mechanisms beyond current experimental capabilities

Edited to add (I didn't read the thread before posting):

Actually, has any one here ever used differential equations for anything practical/applied?

Yes! ODE/PDE ALL the THINGS! ;) But not by hand, mainly ode45/ode15s. ODEs are extremely useful in simple mechanistic models of cellular signaling pathway kinetics/dynamics.

And with that, if you know me even slightly, my identity is obvious. Oh well!

[EscapeVelocity2020]

Yes! ODE/PDE ALL the THINGS! ;) But not by hand, mainly ode45/ode15s. ODEs are extremely useful in simple mechanistic models of cellular signaling pathway kinetics/dynamics.

Uh-oh, time to pull out a TLA yellow card and write your name down :)  And by TLA, I refer to three-letter-acronyms.  Only engineers could possibly understand what you are talking about.  I'm guessing 'DE' are differential equations, but O and P, maybe single order and polynomial?

But one more violation on this thread and you are going to make all of us engineers look like a secret club...

[johnny847]

Yes! ODE/PDE ALL the THINGS! ;) But not by hand, mainly ode45/ode15s. ODEs are extremely useful in simple mechanistic models of cellular signaling pathway kinetics/dynamics.

Uh-oh, time to pull out a TLA yellow card and write your name down :)  And by TLA, I refer to three-letter-acronyms.  Only engineers could possibly understand what you are talking about.  I'm guessing 'DE' are differential equations, but O and P, maybe single order and polynomial?

But one more violation on this thread and you are going to make all of us engineers look like a secret club...

Ordinary and Partial differential equations. ode45/ode15s are Matlab functions that will do this for you.

We are a secret club! Sort of. Sometimes one even I don't feel like I'm a part of when I'm reading research papers.

[Annamal]

Yes! ODE/PDE ALL the THINGS! ;) But not by hand, mainly ode45/ode15s. ODEs are extremely useful in simple mechanistic models of cellular signaling pathway kinetics/dynamics.

Uh-oh, time to pull out a TLA yellow card and write your name down :)  And by TLA, I refer to three-letter-acronyms.  Only engineers could possibly understand what you are talking about.  I'm guessing 'DE' are differential equations, but O and P, maybe single order and polynomial?

But one more violation on this thread and you are going to make all of us engineers look like a secret club...

We actually had a acronym at work that resolved to TLA...

[dcheesi]

Embedded software development. Device firmware, drivers, systems and applications software for custom electronic hardware that we sell. (I try to stay out of UI design as much as possible.)

Computer Engineering would probably be the best fit for a degree, but that was just beginning to be a thing when I was in school. I had to pick between CS and EE; picked EE with a computer/digital focus, and then wound up working in software anyway. But I use my low-level digital electronics knowledge all the time.

[QueenAlice]

Yes! ODE/PDE ALL the THINGS! ;) But not by hand, mainly ode45/ode15s. ODEs are extremely useful in simple mechanistic models of cellular signaling pathway kinetics/dynamics.

Uh-oh, time to pull out a TLA yellow card and write your name down :)  And by TLA, I refer to three-letter-acronyms.  Only engineers could possibly understand what you are talking about.  I'm guessing 'DE' are differential equations, but O and P, maybe single order and polynomial?

But one more violation on this thread and you are going to make all of us engineers look like a secret club...

:) :) 
I worked at a national lab and they had 150+ page manual for all the acronyms they used throughout the facilities!

Ordinary and Partial differential equations. ode45/ode15s are Matlab functions that will do this for you.

We are a secret club! Sort of. Sometimes one even I don't feel like I'm a part of when I'm reading research papers.

Thanks for stepping in to help me out! And truth, I feel the same way when I read some research articles :)

[kimmarg]

Does anyone drive trains? When I was a kid I was always sad my Dad wasn't a 'real engineer', he built software, which didn't sound nearly as fun as an engineer who drives trains!

[EscapeVelocity2020]

Ordinary and Partial differential equations. ode45/ode15s are Matlab functions that will do this for you.

Ordinary and Partial!  Duh!  Oh so many meetings I've entertained myself trying to parse new acronyms, it's like a cryptoquip for engineers, eventually you get enough context to nail it.  Thx Johnny

[James!]

Degree is mechanical, although for the last 6 years I've been working in biomedical. Currently I design orthopedic implants. Plates, screws, small joints, etc.

[Runge]

Mechanical Engineer. I design mud motors for oil and gas. Basically it's a motor that is powered by flowing drilling mud which turns a bit and drills a hole in the ground. And it's all shaped like a giant piece of spaghetti. I also design other "tools" that go down the hole and do other fancy stuff.

[otter]

Mechanical engineer by education, automotive engineer by career, with most of that in quality, technical problem-solving (Shainin) and vehicle evaluation (I liked the last the best, for sure). I also went to art school for car design, but burned out halfway through (too much school at once) - I really miss design. In my current job I create vehicle specs and make sure the vehicles are ordered and built to meet our customers' needs.

[netskyblue]

I had no idea that "engineers" did things with software!  I thought an engineer was someone who designs bridges & tall buildings, etc to withstand forces.  Like, physics stuff.  Learn something new every day.

[nlips]

Software defined networking products.

Telecommunications networks.

This stuff.

[Lizzy B.]

Materials engineer/scientist here. I work on corrosion, trying to keep gas pipelines from blowing up or airplanes from falling from the sky. Pretty interesting, but sometimes I'm amazed by the amount of writing/paper pushing involved.

If this question was asked (or is being read) by someone considering a technical degree, don't underestimate the importance of your writing skills! 

[AlanStache]

I had no idea that "engineers" did things with software!  I thought an engineer was someone who designs bridges & tall buildings, etc to withstand forces.  Like, physics stuff.  Learn something new every day.

I make software related to aviation.  I use physics most every day; I need to know what the airplane does when the deelybob goes towards the whoozit or what the autopilot will do when the gonculator fails.  You are thinking physics is statics, where we also have dynamics.

O/PDE: why would I take my big beautiful non-linear model and simplify it down, that would take effort and cut into MMM time?  :-)

[Russ]

I had no idea that "engineers" did things with software!  I thought an engineer was someone who designs bridges & tall buildings, etc to withstand forces.  Like, physics stuff.  Learn something new every day.

I make software related to aviation.  I use physics most every day; I need to know what the airplane does when the deelybob goes towards the whoozit or what the autopilot will do when the gonculator fails.  You are thinking physics is statics, where we also have dynamics.

Sure, but there are still engineers that do software work requiring no knowledge of physics whatsoever.

Engineers optimize things, whether that is strength/weight/cost, manufacturing processes, material properties, chemical reactions, computation cycles (software), etc.

[libertarian4321]

Paper.

I push paper around all day long.

Never really build or even engineer anything.

But I help keep Georgia Pacific in business.

Officially, I'm an environmental engineer.

[CheapskateWife]

Degree in Construction Management, I help take Architect's plans and turn them into buildings.  My agency refers to my position as "General Engineer" but I don't have an engineering degree.

[civil]

Traffic! Except that field collapsed in 08, so now software. Because I need to pay the bills somehow.

[retired?]

Industrial, Financial, and now Agricultural (i.e. gardening).

[SoCalStache]

Biomedical engineer by study, but IT manager by trade.  Wife is the real engineer (civil/environmental -> processes poop water).

Together we are trying to engineer ourselves to early retirement in 11 years!

[Emilyngh]

My degrees are in electrical engineering, but now I engineer young minds as a professor.

[bludreamin]

Materials engineer/scientist here. I work on corrosion, trying to keep gas pipelines from blowing up or airplanes from falling from the sky. Pretty interesting, but sometimes I'm amazed by the amount of writing/paper pushing involved.

If this question was asked (or is being read) by someone considering a technical degree, don't underestimate the importance of your writing skills! 

+1 - so much writing. Interviewees make the most interesting faces when you ask for a writing example and never understand why you'd want to see one.

Paper.

I push paper around all day long.

Never really build or even engineer anything.

But I help keep Georgia Pacific in business.

Officially, I'm an environmental engineer.

+1 - also environmental engineer here. My short answer for  what enviros do is we clean up humanity's shit (both literal and figurative)... Air/ water/ soil/ groundwater/solid/sewage, old/new/future - waste is everywhere so there's some job security

For my day to day, in addition to pushing paper and filling paper with words I also get to babysit/argue with contractors to make sure agency approved design/work plans are followed.

[johnny847]

Yes! ODE/PDE ALL the THINGS! ;) But not by hand, mainly ode45/ode15s. ODEs are extremely useful in simple mechanistic models of cellular signaling pathway kinetics/dynamics.

Uh-oh, time to pull out a TLA yellow card and write your name down :)  And by TLA, I refer to three-letter-acronyms.  Only engineers could possibly understand what you are talking about.  I'm guessing 'DE' are differential equations, but O and P, maybe single order and polynomial?

But one more violation on this thread and you are going to make all of us engineers look like a secret club...

We actually had a acronym at work that resolved to TLA...

I'm curious - what did it stand for?

[Schaefer Light]

Paper.

I push paper around all day long.

Never really build or even engineer anything.

But I help keep Georgia Pacific in business.

Officially, I'm an environmental engineer.

Don't forget to use the new cover sheet on your TPS reports.

[frugalnacho]

degree in chemical engineering, work as an environmental engineer.  I deal with air compliance.  Mostly stack testing.

[malligator]

EE

Avionics, telemetry, and control systems for launch vehicles (a/k/a rockets).

[AverageMarriedDad]

I am another Environmental Engineer. I do things like designing landfills, renewable energy projects, remediation, and variety of permitting efforts. Somedays it's pretty fun, others pretty shitty, like many jobs. Pays the bills.

[frugalnacho]

Materials engineer/scientist here. I work on corrosion, trying to keep gas pipelines from blowing up or airplanes from falling from the sky. Pretty interesting, but sometimes I'm amazed by the amount of writing/paper pushing involved.

If this question was asked (or is being read) by someone considering a technical degree, don't underestimate the importance of your writing skills! 

+1 - so much writing. Interviewees make the most interesting faces when you ask for a writing example and never understand why you'd want to see one.

Paper.

I push paper around all day long.

Never really build or even engineer anything.

But I help keep Georgia Pacific in business.

Officially, I'm an environmental engineer.

+1 - also environmental engineer here. My short answer for what enviros do is we clean up humanity's shit (both literal and figurative)... Air/ water/ soil/ groundwater/solid/sewage, old/new/future - waste is everywhere so there's some job security

For my day to day, in addition to pushing paper and filling paper with words I also get to babysit/argue with contractors to make sure agency approved design/work plans are followed.

Ah yes...poop. That's why I stay on the industrial/toxic waste side of things instead of domestic waste side of things. I may grow a third eye, a tail, and glow in the dark at some point but at least I'm poop-free :-)! Well, at least until someone illegally dumps toxic waste in the sewer system that is.  Good reason I ER'd asap! It really shocking just how greedy, corrupt and downright criminal many multi-billion dollar companies are when it comes to disposing of their toxic industrial wastes.  Geeze just pay the big bucks to treat and dispose of it properly. Of course if I had taken all the bribes and kick backs I was offered I would have been able to FIRE MUCH sooner :-)!

Heck yeah, 3 squares and a cot provided free.

[zoltani]

How many of you calling yourselves an engineer actually have a professional engineer's license?

[Russ]

lol fuck no.
are we gonna have the discussion about whether you have to have a PE to call yourself an engineer again?

[zoltani]

Mustache friend, we certainly don't fucking have to!

FWIW I do not have a PE either.

[jhawk89]

Biomedical Engineering PhD student. My undergrad was in ChemE. I work in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine - my grad research is on type 1 diabetes - transplanting cells and releasing factors from materials that tell the immune system to back off!

[zoltani]

Big tools definitely help! PE is kind of a joke, but I guess it is necessary in a litigious society such as ours in the USA.

BTW Russ, bicycles are toys and toy designers are not engineers, so I do not think you can call yourself an engineer!
:P