MacInsiders Logo

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Engineering Physics yet again jntyrhds Academics 0 07-03-2010 05:51 PM
Astrophysics? Medical Physics? Honours Physics? Engineering? Which to choose? tammy37 Academics 9 05-14-2009 02:11 AM
engineering vs. physics DeeNos Academics 6 11-17-2008 02:08 AM
Engineering Physics DeeNos Academics 1 10-16-2008 06:29 AM

Engineering PHysics = GEt out your cyanide!!

 
Old 06-03-2011 at 05:35 PM   #106
adaptation
Elite Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 404

Thanked: 38 Times
Liked: 305 Times




Quote:
Originally Posted by jntyrhds View Post
i agree with you but the fact is that public opinion is very easy to dissuade. The problem with nuclear is that it is a dangerous technology and if we dont have a thorough enough understanding of it, it could lead to disastrous consequences. People then have reason to fear if the technology and engineering are still being met with such negative results.
It's sorta like comparing airplane crashes to cars. Sure, airplanes are the safest way to travel but if something small occurs 30,000 feet up there, you're putting hundreds of lives at risk. I feel the same way about reactors, they've performed splendidly for the past 50-60 years but incidents like 3-mile, Chernobyl, and Fukushima have all contributed such a negative impact to the whole industry.
I disagree wholeheartedly with the bolded section.

We understand nuclear technology very well. Chernobyl failed because the russians used sub-standard parts and it epitomizes the saying, "You get what you pay for".

And Fukushima, come on. It was a 30 year old plant, and it was hit by an earthquake AND tsunami. It's maximum earthquake threshhold was BELOW what hit it, and it still survived it. Why did it fail? Because a wave came and knocked over its power generators. Come on. That has nothing to do with "understanding nuclear technology".

However, i do agree with you in the sense that one slip up = super duper bad. And maybe you are right in the sense you shouldn't gamble with so many lives even if the chance of failure is low. Because hey, percentages bite you in the ass sometimes.

In response to the Eng Phys dying bit... lets see how the general population feels about paying $XX a litre for gas in the near future and see if their opinion on alternate energy changes.

Icecream likes this.
Old 06-03-2011 at 07:17 PM   #107
funkdmonkey
Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 38

Thanked: 1 Time
Liked: 27 Times




Quote:
Originally Posted by Icecream View Post
Why is it so formidable ? There aren't a lot of employers who are looking for people with an Engineering Physics degree.
Its formidable because we get a extensive foundation in electrical and mechanical as well as considerable chunks of other streams. A lot of my classmates have found internships at electrical and mechanic companies, as well as photonic related fields. Eng phys is also a goldmine for research positions. All of the profs offer cool jobs, some through NSERC and some through the summer coop program. I believe about 10 of my classmates have gotten interesting research jobs with the profs and that is only for my year. They also offer unpaid positions and if you're willing to work for free as a volunteer, that looks amazing on a resume.

I will admit that as a student going into 4th year, you will have a hard time finding a coop job in the field directly related to your specialization. The bulk of our specialization happens in our 4th year and potential employers dont want to hire us until we get the knowledge and skills we obtain in 4th year. Once you graduate there a lots of jobs waiting, I'm not sure why you don't believe employers are looking for us.

Engineering Physics is kind of an unusual name for a degree and its not straightforward what we can offer. You won't see many employers looking for someone with an Eng Phys degree in particular. But employers rarely look that, they offer a job with a certain position that requires a certain skill set. If they need someone knowledgable in nuclear, photonics, power systems, load transmission, semiconductor, quantum mechanics, thermodynamics....ETC ETC, they will find us. For instance, if there is a job opening for a engineer to do power distribution for OPG, usually the job description says either Mechanical or Electrical but thats more of a generalization. Anyone with the proper skill set for the job can apply and be hired. I'm not saying Eng Phys is better, I'm saying that the skills and experience you can offer are what matters, not necessarily your degree title. It just so happens Eng Phys provides a broad range of applicable skills, but not so broad that your skills are vague or underqualified. It allows a lot of customization on a resume.

Eng Phys degrees are uncommon and vague and while most would see that as a hindrance it can work well in your favour. Having an employer ask what a Eng Phy degree represents is one of the best questions you can hear. You can basically describe and sell the degree to your hearts content and restructure the description based on the job in question. Same goes if you happen to be in the mgmt stream. The mgmt suffix is rather bizarre and unique to McMaster so almost no employer can resist asking what it represents. Again, you can sell it in any form you want.

I hope I dont sound pompous or arrogant, just trying to clear up some potential misconceptions about Eng Phys. This is just from my observations so far and from what I've seen from the upper year students. As engineers we can all be certain we'll have bright careers regardless of faculty.

dsahota likes this.
Old 06-03-2011 at 08:37 PM   #108
jntyrhds
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 75

Thanked: 0 Times
Liked: 1 Time




@Adaption: I agree that the FUkushima reactors weret built to withstand the tsunami and that there might have been some design flaws itself which TEPCO tried to cover up because apparently the reactor was peppered with malfunctions from its very conception. I dont know how long this reactor was supposed to last but it begs the qustion that if this catastrophe happened in Japan and they werent fully able to contain it, what about other countries like Indonesia or Vietnam which are aggressively seeking reactors of their own but arent as technoogically advanced as Japan? We all know how prone that region is to earthquakes and other natural disasters,, there's no guarantee that a well-engineered reactor would hold up if a disaster would strike.
Old 06-03-2011 at 08:44 PM   #109
jntyrhds
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 75

Thanked: 0 Times
Liked: 1 Time




@funkdmonkey: Thanks for the info. I guess the reason i (and possible many other engineering tudents) are hesitant of choosing ENg. Physics is because it's relatively new and it's not promoted very well. It seems that people dread it because it's very physics-intensive but i guss that's what really appeals to me. It's really the science behind the new technology that intrigues me.
Old 06-03-2011 at 09:55 PM   #110
Icecream
Account Locked
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 398

Thanked: 7 Times
Liked: 42 Times




Quote:
Originally Posted by funkdmonkey View Post
But employers rarely look that, they offer a job with a certain position that requires a certain skill set. If they need someone knowledgable in nuclear, photonics, power systems, load transmission, semiconductor, quantum mechanics, thermodynamics....ETC ETC, they will find us. For instance, if there is a job opening for a engineer to do power distribution for OPG, usually the job description says either Mechanical or Electrical but thats more of a generalization. Anyone with the proper skill set for the job can apply and be hired.

Having an employer ask what a Eng Phy degree represents is one of the best questions you can hear.
This is what got me interested about Engineering Physics : It's broad and I believe (by looking at the courses it offers) that it gives the student the basics for almost any engineering job (mechanical, electrical, civil...).

So here's my other question : How do you get those skills (or that skill set) ?

For example, let's say fresh student out of university with an eng phys degree is going into the market. He knows how to program in many languages (c, Java, Fortran, C++, PHP, Python : learned them in his free time). He puts that on his resume and applies to a software firm.

So technically, if the degree does not play a big part, he could get the job right ?
Old 06-03-2011 at 11:39 PM   #111
jntyrhds
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 75

Thanked: 0 Times
Liked: 1 Time




@Ice Cream:
I think if you look at one of the previous postings on this thread, you'd find someone mentioned exactly that.
They got a degree in Eng. Phy but found a job working more as a software engineer/programmer because of their background and experience in programming.
They also made a good point about your engineering degree being just a foundation on which you build on. I myself know of some friends who ended up very mch the same situation. Graduated with a degree in ELectrical and got a job as a civil engineer. It's weird but to some extent it's true that it doesnt really matter what sort of engineering degree you have but rather on your experience. HAving said that, i think electrical is also quite broad a discipline as well.
Old 06-04-2011 at 02:47 PM   #112
Icecream
Account Locked
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 398

Thanked: 7 Times
Liked: 42 Times




Quote:
Originally Posted by jntyrhds View Post
@Ice Cream:
I think if you look at one of the previous postings on this thread, you'd find someone mentioned exactly that.
They got a degree in Eng. Phy but found a job working more as a software engineer/programmer because of their background and experience in programming.
They also made a good point about your engineering degree being just a foundation on which you build on. I myself know of some friends who ended up very mch the same situation. Graduated with a degree in ELectrical and got a job as a civil engineer. It's weird but to some extent it's true that it doesnt really matter what sort of engineering degree you have but rather on your experience. HAving said that, i think electrical is also quite broad a discipline as well.
How do you get the experience then ?

Software is kinda obvious, but what about civil ?
Old 06-05-2011 at 12:20 AM   #113
Zimonada
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 137

Thanked: 33 Times
Liked: 34 Times




Quote:
Originally Posted by Icecream View Post
How do you get the experience then ?

Software is kinda obvious, but what about civil ?
Co-op, and just networking in general.

Even if you can't necessarily prove you can do it, if you can sell yourself well enough, you'll get in.
Old 06-05-2011 at 07:53 AM   #114
adaptation
Elite Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 404

Thanked: 38 Times
Liked: 305 Times




Yeah, all you really need is the B. Eng, then it's just networking lol.

Here's an example, my father is in the software industry. His boss is a chemical engineer hah.
Old 06-06-2011 at 04:38 PM   #115
jntyrhds
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 75

Thanked: 0 Times
Liked: 1 Time




Yeah, it's weird but that's how engineering goes i guess. Just get the basics down and keep applying for internships and ure good.
btw, here's a link about Germany's decision to phase out nuclear power. It's quite interesting.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znO2cAvR5SM
Old 08-05-2011 at 03:09 AM   #116
jntyrhds
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 75

Thanked: 0 Times
Liked: 1 Time




Hey guys,
So im going into the Eng Physics program after all but I just needed some feedback on some of the courses in the Eng. Physics program so that i can get some idea of the difficulty. Would be a great help if anyone could share some tips and pointers to get through some of the harder courses. I asked a friend of mine who's going into his 4th year and he said to watch out for Thermo, PHY 3BA3/3BB3 (Electronics) and Numerical methods. Possibly the toughest lot out of the common courses.
Oh, and just to let you guys know, Mac is organizing a Lipdub this fall Dont know if they have any threads for that here but i do know thev've got a facebook page.
Old 08-05-2011 at 06:35 AM   #117
Noodle
Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 42

Thanked: 3 Times
Liked: 19 Times




Quote:
Originally Posted by jntyrhds View Post
Hey guys,
So im going into the Eng Physics program after all but I just needed some feedback on some of the courses in the Eng. Physics program so that i can get some idea of the difficulty. Would be a great help if anyone could share some tips and pointers to get through some of the harder courses. I asked a friend of mine who's going into his 4th year and he said to watch out for Thermo, PHY 3BA3/3BB3 (Electronics) and Numerical methods. Possibly the toughest lot out of the common courses.
Oh, and just to let you guys know, Mac is organizing a Lipdub this fall Dont know if they have any threads for that here but i do know thev've got a facebook page.
lets see..

classical mechanics: interesting course, hard as hell but if you just hang in there you'll pass
thermo: bane of my existance, just get prior tests and you're golden.
3ba3/3bb3: awesome courses, just get a good group together
numerical methods: memorization is key, though I found it boring.
3E03: a humbling experience, hope for mercy from the great cassidy, though you'll get none
3w04: if you got cassidy for this, you're screwed.
3pn4: quite dry material, textbook will save you.

overall though, it's not like these courses are impossible. They are A LOT easier if you are interested in the material. Don't worry about the difficulty, just deal with it, when it slaps you across the face.

jntyrhds says thanks to Noodle for this post.
Old 08-05-2011 at 01:32 PM   #118
jntyrhds
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 75

Thanked: 0 Times
Liked: 1 Time




@ Noodle:
Thanks a lot. Im just trying to brace myself for the upcoming torment im gonnna be facing this fall. Btw, how's Analog and digital circuits and MATH 3D03 and 4Q03?
Ive got quite a few courses transferred over since i was in the physics program before transferring over to Mac last year so my courses are here and there quite a bit.

Another quick question, i know they dont offer any Engineering courses over the summer but how about the science courses? Like does any1 know if i could possibly clear some 3/4th year physics courses over the summer as technical electives? It would make the workload a bit more manageable if i could do that.
Old 08-05-2011 at 04:26 PM   #119
Noodle
Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 42

Thanked: 3 Times
Liked: 19 Times




Quote:
Originally Posted by jntyrhds View Post
@ Noodle:
Thanks a lot. Im just trying to brace myself for the upcoming torment im gonnna be facing this fall. Btw, how's Analog and digital circuits and MATH 3D03 and 4Q03?
Ive got quite a few courses transferred over since i was in the physics program before transferring over to Mac last year so my courses are here and there quite a bit.

Another quick question, i know they dont offer any Engineering courses over the summer but how about the science courses? Like does any1 know if i could possibly clear some 3/4th year physics courses over the summer as technical electives? It would make the workload a bit more manageable if i could do that.
I dunno about the summer courses stuff, I would say probably not. There is a way to check just the course timetable for the spring/summer months (just google it).

3D03 is pretty easy, the text we used was horrendous. I found that the second year math text was better for the course material (most of it, still get the textbook you'll need it for certain chapters). 3C03 and 3D03 are interesting since they actually have full math solutions for tests rather than multiple choice like before.

4Q03 was ok, just try to get as high as you can on the first assignments since the last one is brutal. the course will change before you get to it though, so I don't know how useful anything I say will be.
Old 08-05-2011 at 05:20 PM   #120
jntyrhds
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 75

Thanked: 0 Times
Liked: 1 Time




thanks again for the info.
Damn it, as much as i like Mac, i hate the fact that they hardly offer any courses over the summer. Would have made a lot of lives easier otherwise. Oh well, cant wait for this fall. Lots to look forward to.
How is the program in general?
I heard you get a chance to take a field trip in 4th year. That sounds pretty awesome.



Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



McMaster University News and Information, Student-run Community, with topics ranging from Student Life, Advice, News, Events, and General Help.
Notice: The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the student(s) who authored the content. The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by McMaster University or the MSU (McMaster Students Union). Being a student-run community, all articles and discussion posts on MacInsiders are unofficial and it is therefore always recommended that you visit the official McMaster website for the most accurate up-to-date information.

Copyright © MacInsiders.com All Rights Reserved. No content can be re-used or re-published without permission. MacInsiders is a service of Fullerton Media Inc. | Created by Chad
Originally Powered by vBulletin®, Copyright © 2019 MH Sub I, LLC dba vBulletin. All rights reserved. | Privacy | Terms