Mechanical Engineering Podcast on Ethos
We began this project by creating a podcast exploring how Mechanical Engineering students use ethos in their writing. We interviewed three Mechanical Engineering undergraduates at MSU: freshman David Warner, junior Madeline Roe, and senior James Miller. We asked our interviewees about their views on ethos, referred to as credibility. Using the knowledge gained through these interviews, we created a six-minute podcast exploring what Engineering students are taught about ethos by their professors and how they establish ethos in their writing. Listen to the podcast below.
Mechanical Engineering Ethos
After the creation of our podcast, we interviewed three additional MSU Mechanical Engineering undergraduates: Joe Commane, Elisabeth Warner, and Evan Bryant. They shared their views on what credibility means to them, and how they use it in their writing and designs.
Engineers write primarily technical documents, with students in particular writing mostly lab reports. Because of the mathematical nature of the writing, ethos is often not shown through argument or character, but through facts and proof. Joe Commane said it is important that lab reports “include not only words, but also a wide variety of charts, tables, and graphs of a given set of data.” Warner adds that the best way to establish credibility in writing is to be “clear and straightforward.” She feels there is no way to fake credibility, as technical writing “requires clear thinking and data analysis” to be the main focus of a report. All of the interviewees agreed that in addition to data, citing credible sources also creates ethos in a lab report.
Designs are also a very important part of an engineer’s reputation. A professional engineer can build a positive reputation by consistently creating functional, durable designs. Commane believes that “for a design, credibility is quite simple,” and depends completely on whether the design functions properly or not. Warner suggests there are other design elements that can add to an engineer’s ethos. She says, "The best designs take other things into account. Does the design break easily? It is easy to repair? Does it use standardized spare parts?” She adds that not only should engineers work to create a durable product, but they should be transparent about the quality of their work. Warner states that an engineer can lose credibility if they create a product that “works well enough that someone wants to buy it, but then breaks a week later or proves to not be as useful as they thought.” Evan Bryant adds that giving credit where it is due is highly important in a design. He claims a big part of an engineer’s character hinges on “citing ideas others have created and not stealing credit for someone else's work.”
According to Bryant, “professors both directly and indirectly teach how to be credible.” As we discussed in our podcast, professors introduce their students to an engineering code of ethics very early in their education, and emphasize that code in many engineering classes. They also lead by example. Commane recalls judging his professors' credibility based on their education and past experience, helping him understand the importance of these things in creating a strong reputation for himself in the future. Bryant adds that professors provide their students with “examples by the way they conduct themselves” in the classroom. Their demeanor can be a good demonstration of how a student should aspire to conduct themselves in a professional situation. According to Warner, not only do professors prepare students for the professional world by acclimating them to “following deadlines, learning things on [their] own, and communicating in a professional setting,” they can also inadvertently give example of ways to establish a bad reputation. She claims that professors can quickly lose credibility in the eyes of their students if they “make frequent mistakes, or seem unprepared.” Through these examples, students may understand the importance of creating a strong ethos for themselves in their professional lives, as well as how to do so.
Engineers write primarily technical documents, with students in particular writing mostly lab reports. Because of the mathematical nature of the writing, ethos is often not shown through argument or character, but through facts and proof. Joe Commane said it is important that lab reports “include not only words, but also a wide variety of charts, tables, and graphs of a given set of data.” Warner adds that the best way to establish credibility in writing is to be “clear and straightforward.” She feels there is no way to fake credibility, as technical writing “requires clear thinking and data analysis” to be the main focus of a report. All of the interviewees agreed that in addition to data, citing credible sources also creates ethos in a lab report.
Designs are also a very important part of an engineer’s reputation. A professional engineer can build a positive reputation by consistently creating functional, durable designs. Commane believes that “for a design, credibility is quite simple,” and depends completely on whether the design functions properly or not. Warner suggests there are other design elements that can add to an engineer’s ethos. She says, "The best designs take other things into account. Does the design break easily? It is easy to repair? Does it use standardized spare parts?” She adds that not only should engineers work to create a durable product, but they should be transparent about the quality of their work. Warner states that an engineer can lose credibility if they create a product that “works well enough that someone wants to buy it, but then breaks a week later or proves to not be as useful as they thought.” Evan Bryant adds that giving credit where it is due is highly important in a design. He claims a big part of an engineer’s character hinges on “citing ideas others have created and not stealing credit for someone else's work.”
According to Bryant, “professors both directly and indirectly teach how to be credible.” As we discussed in our podcast, professors introduce their students to an engineering code of ethics very early in their education, and emphasize that code in many engineering classes. They also lead by example. Commane recalls judging his professors' credibility based on their education and past experience, helping him understand the importance of these things in creating a strong reputation for himself in the future. Bryant adds that professors provide their students with “examples by the way they conduct themselves” in the classroom. Their demeanor can be a good demonstration of how a student should aspire to conduct themselves in a professional situation. According to Warner, not only do professors prepare students for the professional world by acclimating them to “following deadlines, learning things on [their] own, and communicating in a professional setting,” they can also inadvertently give example of ways to establish a bad reputation. She claims that professors can quickly lose credibility in the eyes of their students if they “make frequent mistakes, or seem unprepared.” Through these examples, students may understand the importance of creating a strong ethos for themselves in their professional lives, as well as how to do so.