The College of Science is the only college closely related to engineering at SMU. In front of the Main Library, we can see Sookmyungians heading to the laboratory or sitting on benches solving math problems. However, starting in 2016, Sookmyung will open an College of Engineering. Rather than opening a college within the College of Science, Sookmyung will provide better facilities for students studying engineering.
 

Are Engineering Nerds Men?

In the past, most engineering majors or companies were full of men. Since engineering and science held great interest among men, it was rare for women to enter this field. However, these days, more and more women are entering the engineering field. As people realize the potential of engineering and science in the future, the need to specialize in these fields and study about them has increased. Consequently, since more female students are entering into the engineering field, many universities are supporting these kinds of fields. Now there are more female engineering nerds. Then, what should universities do to support female students in their dreams of becoming great engineering warriors? Three SMT reporters looked into the matter by visiting and interviewing a few famous engineering institutions in Germany.

Our Lives are Linked to Engineering

During the Global Explorer Program, SMT reporters interviewed several people in engineering-related work. According to them, the number of women in engineering has soared. You Jeongha, a Laboratory Chief of Max-Plank in Germany said, "Although there are still few women in physics, women are there. In recent years, women entering engineering have gradually increased. In particular, in the fields of Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics, the number of women now almost equals that of men." The influence of women in the field of engineering has grown over the years.
Modern society now sees engineering as a field for both men and women because they bring different potentials to the field and this has contributed to advancements of women in engineering. For example, women are known to be better at multitasking than men, which is a comparative advantage in the engineering field. It’s wrong to view engineering by gender; instead, we need to make good use of each gender’s potential to proceed more efficiently. For example, at Hyundai Motor Company, work involving inertial control devices and tasks related to mechanical parts are mostly carried out by men because they require great physical strength. In today’s global society, everyone recognizes women’s potential. Therefore, in response to this new social environment and to increase the competitiveness of Sookmyung, the university has announced plans to establish an College of Engineering. The university held a proclamation ceremony and Park Chunil, Dean of International Cooperation at Sookmyung said, "We plan to cultivate talented individuals who will create a new business environment in the engineering field, which requires creativity and innovation." He also emphasized, "The creation of a College of Engineering presents new challenges for future growth." A Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering and Department of Information Technology Engineering will be established at Sookmyung in 2016. Kim Jinhee, Department of Business Administration '13 said, "Sookmyung is looking to strengthen its competitiveness by constructing a College of Engineering, but to reach such an objective, the school first must set up operational system."

As we look around our daily lives, we find many things around us are related to engineering science. Do you wake up to an alarm clock? Those clocks are made possible by work done in the engineering field. Commuting to school every day, do you use a car or public transportation? Those vehicles are also made possible by work done in engineering science. Besides these things, there are many more things that exist due to the help of people in engineering. In other words, it is important to realize the importance of engineering science. Even though people work or study all kinds of fields, engineering science is the foundation for all other fields. Also, engineering is easily found and firsthand seen in our real lives. According to Kim Hojong, a space engineer who engages in the field of aerospace, “All fields of study at most universities are very important. However, in terms of real life application, most aspects of daily life are related to engineering science. Also, as time passes, the importance of engineering grows. I strongly think that it would benefit all students, regardless of major, to have some knowledge of engineering.” Without a doubt, engineering concepts are hard for people not majoring in engineering or studying a field closely connected to that field to understand the concepts. However, it will benefit students to have introductory information about the basic concepts of engineering. It would be great for them to realize how those concepts are applicable to daily life. Hence, more universities are supporting the field of engineering science than ever before. With this tendency, students would benefit from some basic engineering knowledge.

Sookmyungians, Walk the Road of Engineering

There is a great expectation on the construction of a College of Engineering at Sookmyung. However, in order to meet various expectations, both the university and students should strive for a well-established College of Engineering on campus. At first, its reputation may be lower than other school since it will only have started in 2016. Therefore, there is a need to equip the school with certain unique features that only Sookmyung possess so that the college at the university is recognized by others. For instance, Sookmyung should establish differentiated programs with other engineering colleges and allow students to graduate with a double major in order to have more comprehensive knowledge and be more competitive. In addition, the university should actively seek to be a liaison between the college and corporations in order to provide students various business practice experiences. For example, internships of longer than 6 months are mandatory at universities in Germany.

In addition, students need to put forth genuine effort. Unlike other university students, Sookmyungians will need to contemplate seriously what an College of Engineering at Sookmyung would mean to them. Also, Sookmyung ought to encourage students to enroll in basic engineering course, regardless of their major. Because engineering is a practical subject area, students enrolled in these classes will benefit from diversity of thought. During an interview with Laboratory Chief of Max-Plank, You Jeongha, he emphasized the fact that women should enter various fields of engineering and fully utilize the strengths only women have.

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