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Nate Tarricone

Prof. Rachel Lewis

ENGW 3315

29 May 2017

The Scientific and Data-Driven Approach to Engineering Writing

Mechanical engineering is, in a broad sense, a physics-driven field that is predicated on

finding solutions to everyday problems through the application of different math and science

principles. Mechanical engineers are often tasked with jobs involving the physical design of

tools, equipment, and hardware for a variety of professions, including medical, infrastructure,

and consumer-focused industries. Others may specialize in theoretical work involving the

simulation and analysis of different physical phenomena. Regardless of the line of work,

mechanical engineers are universally concerned with making things safer, easier to use, longer

lasting, and more efficient. My own recent experience has comprised of design consultancy

work, where I team up with a small group of engineers, strategists, and industrial designers to

provide clients with innovative ideas and solutions to their problems. More specifically, I am

usually tasked with redesigning the mechanical components of different medical and consumer

products to improve their functionality and make them more ergonomically friendly for the end

user. Thus far, the immense variety and diverse-nature of work has made this an interesting and

rewarding position.

Despite being predominantly math and science-based, the engineering profession still

uses technical writing and inter-community discourse as a means for communicating new

research and technologies across the industry. The most common application of this medium is

the formal documentation and recording of standardized procedures, progress reports, and test
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summaries by engineers for managers or collaborating companies. This brand of writing is

typically meant to be thorough and comprehensive, but also succinct and to-the-point in its

formulation. The recipients, of which, are most often expecting concise and objective summaries

of the subject matter in order to quickly determine the ensuing courses of action. A similar, but

more intensive, form of this is the creation of product manuals and datasheets for newly

developed tools and equipment. In these cases, it is up to the designers to effectively

characterize and convey the most relevant specifications of each product for their target

audience, usually being a business or independent consumer. A thirdand more academic

type of engineering writing is the publication of research journals and articles regarding recent

advancements in science and tech. These papers can even include proposals of new ideas,

advocacy for funding, and objections to old principles. In this regard, these journals can serve as

a formal and professional platform for scientists to question traditional beliefs and promote inter-

community discourse, without offending or dismissing past research.

Interestingly enough, my current work showcases a fourth, more collaborative and

accommodating genre of engineering writing, involving the formal communication and dialogue

between partnering firms. Exceedingly prevalent in the consultancy business, my day-to-day

work often entails the preparation of short presentations and progress reports for clients, detailing

my latest work and our mutual timelines moving forward. The client will typically hold on to a

copy of this high-level summary as a reference for future discussions and check-ins. I have

found this writing, supplemented by a verbal presentation, to be an effective means of

communicating our work and establishing a transparent dialogue between both parties. I also

consistently utilize the second form of engineering writing I mentioned, which involves me

reviewing and comparing datasheets of various tools and equipment when deciding on which
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product will best suit our needs. In some cases, if the product is not clearly or fully characterized

in the datasheet, I will have to call the vendor directly and speak to an engineer on staff to obtain

extra clarification.

A great example to showcase one brand of engineering writing is the academic journal

article titled, Direction for Artificial Intelligence to Achieve Sapiency Inspired by Homo

Sapiens, by Mahmud Arif Pavel of St. Johns University. This piece, in suffice, is about the

potential for an alternative approach to the conventional roadmap for the development of

artificial intelligence. This up-and-coming technology has traditionally been viewed as a

glorified means of automation, where these machines are taught to observe and behave as

replacements for human beings (e.g. virtual assistants, self-driving cars, etc.). Pavel proposes

that the best way to achieve a human-like end product is not to program a device to act like a

human, but rather program it to learn and grow like a human child.

From a more abstract and discourse perspective, this is an interesting think piece that

Pavel has injected into the computational engineering community. Being a faculty member at St.

Johns University, he was able to directly reach his target audience by publishing in the

International Journal of Advanced Research in Artificial Intelligence. Industry and technology-

specific academic journals, such as this, are not uncommon in the engineering field, and allow

for scientists from a variety of backgrounds to converse with those who share similar jobs or

interests. In this respect, Pavel successfully achieved his goal of getting his ideas and message

out to those who can provide him with constructive feedback.

From a formatting standpoint, this piece is similar to most scientific journal articles I

have come across. The paper starts with a standard abstract where Pavel explains the purpose

and logic behind his proposal, as he prepares the reader for what is to come. As is standard for
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other engineering papers, he references numerous other academic articles and textbooks while

laying out the background information relevant to his topic. Pavel then goes on to describe the

computer-human paradox that he has been grappling with, and how he has come to understand it.

At this point, he has brought the reader up to speed with his line of thinking but has not yet

proposed a solution or course of action. In his explanation, Pavel references a large figure that

he has created, which juxtaposes the contrasting input and output natures of computers and

humans. Not only is a table-like graphic, such as this, typical for engineering papers, but the

input/output nature that he discusses is a direct analogy to the information processing

operations that programmers utilize. Pavel is effectively making use of common engineering

diction to illustrate his thoughts to an expectedly science-minded audience. This is a useful

means of maintaining engagement with the reader while outlining the situation in a context that

they understand and can relate to.

Pavels article on his novel approach to the development of artificial intelligence is just

one example of an engineer publishing his ideas and research in order to receive formal feedback

and review from a larger scientific community. In a previous internship, I was responsible for

assisting in high-frequency microwave research for a physicist who was advocating for SBIR

funding. This required my boss to publish numerous papers on his work, detailing the research

being done and the theory behind his actions. This work, while completely different from

Pavels proposal, underwent the same process of submission, review, and peer-feedback before

being accepted as a credible source for future work.

At a high-level, this type of scholarly, academic engineering writing is still exceedingly

similar to the more informal, email-based discourse that occurs among engineers in their day-

to-day lives. When communicating my ideas to a client, for example, I am still expected to
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provide them with tangible and analytical evidence to support my claims. In most cases, this will

involve in-house testing and data collection, followed by a short report to back up my proposed

designs. This is also the standardwhile to a much greater extentfor all scholarly articles that

are seeking to achieve formal credibility. And despite the varying levels of formality and

technicality, all genres of engineering writing are rooted in tangible evidence, and are data-driven

to some extent. This is a pronounced aspect of technical writing that separates true engineering

discourse from other professions and mediums of communication.

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Works Cited

Arif, Mahmud. "Direction for Artificial Intelligence to Achieve Sapiency Inspired by Homo

Sapiens." International Journal of Advanced Research in Artificial Intelligence 5.9

(2016): n. pag. Web. 23 May 2017.