Hi,
In last two classes you have been introduced to various problems such as energy scarcity, poor/expensive healthcare and failing transportation infrastructure we in the US as well as people in less fortunate countries around the world are currently facing. We have also seen some examples about how innovative thinking (taking a fresh approach) can potentially transform the world for the better.
As a budding Computer Scientist and/or Engineer which of these (or any other) challenge(s) you feel motivated to address in your career. Provide some insights into the reasons for your motivation as well as how your University education in general and CSE education in particular can potentially help you in your quest to make our world a better place.
What innovative approach you plan to take or in general we as an engineering community need to take? Elaborate on any major hurdles/pitfalls you foresee.
Also, mention any important aspects of your education/up bringing so far which you think will be most helpful in your engineering quests in future.
Regards,
Sandeep
I see the transportation infrastructure as a big problem. However, I think the security and reliability of our nation's infrastructure as a whole is poor. Our electrical grid is extremely vulnerable, and the U.S. receives thousands of cyber-attacks everyday (CNN.com). Something I have always been interested in is information assurance, namely catching and defending systems hackers. Something else that has always peaked my interest is encryption. I feel that I was inspired by my family and friends and my experiences on the internet to pursue these trades. As a CSE major and going to a top university in the field of IA, I feel my education here at ASU is paramount in achieving my aspirations. I will recieve the proper training and knowledge that is needed, especially in programming and hardware, to get the job I want.
ReplyDeleteI personally think that our country needs to divert more resources and manpower, in addition to new technology, into our national (cyber) security. Priceless information about our vulnerabilities and the American population (credit cards, identification, etc) exists online and I feel that we aren't doing a good enough job. Major hurdles would be convincing people (especially some of the nearly century old Congressmen and women) that this type of security is worth the money in taxes and effort.
Aspects of my education that will help me achieve my engineering aspirations is obvious. A high school education is definitely a start, and the programs I was involved in at my school (web dev, graphic arts, etc) help also. The biggest tool I have is my upbringing. I was taught to never give up under any conditions if what I was gunning for was really important and what I wanted. I want to be an engineer and to live the rest of my life doing Computer Systems. Hopefully, I will stick to what I have been taught.
I think the obvious challenge for all Americans is finding safety. In all cases we are worrying about when the next threat will come about and from where. Everything from terrorist attacks, virtual attacks (as Korinkoj1 said above), and invasions from across our borders. The ultimate concern for every American will always be our safety despite what we do to fix this issue. However, there is no harm in trying to accomplish this task because without defending against it, it will only get worse.
ReplyDeleteI am a patriot to our country and I am a strong believer that the United States of America is the best country out there. Thus, making our country a safer place has always been in my heart as a problem that needs to be addressed. My University education will help me learn about what is being done about this issue as well as what has already been tried and therefore making innovation a matter of my own original ideas rather than repeating history at any point. CSE will be a big step in solving this problem because it will allow me to hold the tools necessary to innovate and attack from a completely different standpoint.
As an engineering community, we need to take the much needed step of crossing lines and making a difference. Everyone in current times is afraid of making someone angry due to being politically incorrect. The freedoms of America were not given to us, they were taken and in order to take back some piece of mind we must do things that others are scared to. The new generations of engineers need to be open-minded and focused on solving issues instead of limiting themselves to things that are socially acceptable. Taking that step as a team means being fought by many outside activist groups however, and that is the main pitfall that we must escape.
From my upbringing, I am taking a strong mind, strong beliefs and determination to make this world a better and safer place!
Healthcare directly affects on the human life span while education directly affects all the areas of resources that are available for human to utilize, or in the other cases, to destroy if not used properly. In order to sustain the human race with knowledge to create a long lasting and flourishing planet, these two are the main problems that I am motivated to address in my career.
ReplyDeleteAttending college is one way that will widen my horizon and provide a zone where I could learn about various of aspects about the society and computer systems engineering in specific. Not only the classes I have been taking so far emphasize on the development of technology, but as well as its impacts and the sustainability of the real world problems that are out there to be addressed.
In order for the current generation to make wise choices and develop a sustainable and reliable plan, it is essential for us to equip the necessary tools and knowledge needed to carry out the plan.
An engineering community as a whole is where all the ideas and plans will come from. It is impossible to gain all the opinions and ideas from all the professors, which is why with engineers taking different classes come together will be able to bring all the differences and unique ideas into one place. An engineering community will be able to come up with better ideas as a whole and modify into a well covered plan.
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ReplyDeleteDoctors can benefit from the data systems computer scientists develop. Data can be organized more efficiently with computers than with current paper systems. Computerized data could also be kept updated, monitored, and shared between all the specialists that a patient relies on. In addition to all of this, I am interested in innovations with how gathered, stored, and represented. Humans are complicated subjects and simple numbers and comments on records do not always tell the whole story.
ReplyDeleteThe development of more intelligent systems can also benefit medical professionals (as well as all other parts of life where computers are used). A system that could perceive a potential problem, form a plan to prevent the problem, and learn from its past procedures could form a passive safety net that saves a patient’s life when the doctor cannot. After college, I hope to contribute to the field of artificial intelligence and help develop a system like the above.
Information is everything in modern life. It is very valuable and there is a need for specialists to protect against those who attempt to steal it. In college I hope to learn the special skills needed to protect the basis of our society.
You have bioengineers who are designing new mechanical limbs and making groundbreaking discoveries; but they need someone to help program these ideas. I think this is where the world is heading, as it needs to be, new medical advances.
ReplyDeleteOne of the focus I want to make of my career is helping with research, I want to help people. I'm good at programming and math, so I think I'm going to get my masters in Bioinformatics, concentrating on the statistical and technological aspects. I feel that if I can contribute at all to a new discovery of any kind that can help the world at all than why wouldn't I? This is probably the biggest influence I've had from my upbringing, help anyone you can as much as you can.
One thing that America needs to take into serious consideration right now is the search for alternative sources of energy. Despite what you may believe about global warming, the harm to the environment is undeniable. CO2 emissions pollute the air we all breathe, along with the animals we share this planet with. Factories emit massive amounts of this chemical into the air every minute of every day the things we use on a day-to-day basis.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the oil companies have us all on leashes, and there's really nothing we can do about it at this point. Oil is almost as essential to modern society as water right now, and that is not a good thing. Water is essential to life, oil is not. It is not, and should not, be a necessity.
The oil companies would have us all believe that oil is in dangerously low supply (which I doubt is very true). This, in turn, drives up the price of oil to absurd prices. But what can we do? Nothing, really. We need oil to get to our jobs, our schools, to run our appliances in our homes, and whatever else.
One cannot just stop using oil. It's not that simple. The best solution is to wean ourselves off of oil as we adopt a new source of energy. One that this cheaper, cleaner, and more natural. The Sun. If humans could harness just a small fraction of the Sun's energy, we would never need to touch oil again. The problem is that photovoltaic cells are very inefficient, and they die quickly. However, thanks to the Law of Accelerating Returns, it is predicted that future advances and breakthroughs in solar energy (which are inevitable)will rid ourselves of the need of oil in the next 20 years and we will be using nothing but solar energy at that point (Ray Kurzweil). This would solve many of Earth's issues with pollution. It would also save our country billions of dollars spent on protecting the environment from CO2 emissions. But, best of all, it would get rid of those oil companies that everyone loves so much.
I think that the education I receive here will enable me to be a part of the energy revolution that is on its way. I hope I will have a part in designing the systems that harness this energy and distribute it to people all across the globe.
Personally, I think a major issue we will face in the coming years or decades will be "cyber-security" or information assurance. We already know how increasingly dependent on technology society has become and will continue to become and with components being embedded in virtually every item or object that we own. Because of this safeguarding their capabilities as well as safeguarding the information we are inevitably going to possess will be a major challenge.
ReplyDeleteEveryone uses these technologies, including the public, the government, and the military. Safeguarding vital information that will inevitably be stored virtually on hard drives that most likely will be connected to networks like the Internet will be viable targets for cyber attacks since the attackers can obtain information without actually having to risk physically "stealing" information. Since the beginning of time, information has been one of the most important components of advancing civilization, therefore it must be safeguarded, and as an Computer Systems Engineer major, information assurance or "cyber security" may be something I look into in the coming years.
As an engineering community we are responsible for ideas, creation, and implementation of new technologies and innovations. With this in mind there are many places in society that can be improved. With the many problems today it is difficult to prioritize them. However, I would have to say that one of the first problems that need to be addressed would be energy.
ReplyDeleteI believe it is time we seriously look into alternate and more efficient energy sources. As a computer scientist, I could program, test, and operate devices used for alternate and/or more efficient energy sources. I believe however, this is such a large issue that scientists of every type will need to work on this problem together to finally create or discover a way to run pure, clean, and highly efficient energy. I'm motivated to finding a solution to a problem, such as this, because like most engineers, it is in our nature to try to change, fix, and understand things. I'm hoping that ASU will not only teach me the programming skills needed, but how to approach problems such as these.
“Scientists investigate that which already is. Engineers create that which has never been.” We computer scientists do both. (Quotation is from Albert Einstein.)
First of all, we are the next generation of engineers that have to come with new ideas to improve our problems we are facing today. As engineers our job will be to solve problems and improve societies way of living.
ReplyDeleteI want to be able to be part of helping others and our environment. By attending ASU I want to learn how to fix this problems and be able to use my Computer Science skills as well. I want our air to be less contaminated. We have to find alternatives for factories to stop releasing so many chemicals into the air.
Although its going to be challenging, if the engineers and scientist stick together we can find many solutions to the problems. We just have to try and never give up.
I think it is time for America to start drilling for oil in our own country instead of going to other places to buy it at a premium. Also, if we start drilling for our own oil we should find a better more efficient way to drill for oil so that we can keep all of the animal rights activists happy.
ReplyDeleteMy college education will help me to write better software to analyze the data received from different kinds of technology.
Michael Farris
In today's society various problems such as healthcare, cyber/physical security, and political/ethical viewpoints have engineers from all fields scrambling to find solutions to the worlds problems in an ever changing environment. But the one challenge that I see as the most important to overcome is our resources and energy. Without our resources and energy our nation would be at a stand still. Nothing and noone will function without energy. And to get energy we must use resources which are at a steady decline and will soon lead to global warfare for the scarce resources if an alternative or a better way of producing energy is found.
ReplyDeleteBecause of this I decided to enter into computer engineering and find a solution to this problem. Because technology is heavily reliant on energy and is all around us today, I want to figure out a way of running all sorts of gizmos and gadgets from your ipods to your cars to your cell phones without electricity. I see many pitfalls and hurdles that needs to be overcome with this idea. Mainly the fact that if the technologies will work along side an alternative in a way that we could still use our phones the same way we do today or even better with the new alternative.
I think that from what I have learned in my 12 years of education so far has put me into a position to focus in on a certain field of study in which I can have a significant impact on. And that starts with being at ASU trying to learn all I can so this idea will eventually become reality someday.
As a budding Computer Scientist and/or Engineer I feel motivated to help with the worlds growing energy crisis through the efficient use of fossil fuels. Eventually breakthroughs will be made in renewable energy that will replace fossil fuels but in the meantime we are reliant on things like oil. If I can learn to write programs and develop hardware at ASU that can maximize output while minimizing damage to the environment then I will be doing my part in the energy crisis.
ReplyDeleteThe largest problem with pursuing such a thing is that modern media has made out fossil fuels and all who work with them to be evil. To do my small part for humanity I will have to become one of those evil engineers that delves into the evil arts of fossil fuels.
One of the biggest hassles that I think could be done with is constantly authenticating oneself to public systems. OpenID is a good idea, but it's just not ubiquitous enough yet. I don't really see any technical reason this can be improved upon. It just needs developers to start using it. Being able to authenticate yourself without typing in user names and password is nice too, but carrying around a smart card isn't exactly ideal. It can be stolen, and even an implanted identification would be susceptible to physical attacks of the user. The only way around that would be to have wet ware that could detect the intention of the user to authenticate themselves. Privacy and ethics issues start coming into play there.
ReplyDeleteI think that one of the most pressing issues in our modern society is individual privacy and the balance between anonymity in the digital world and how it relates to copyrights and the way information is distributed to people. The most obvious dilemma is whether privacy means anonymity. Each person needs to be guaranteed their privacy in the online and digital world, however if that privacy is posed as anonymity it can pose a security risk to not only individuals but to governments and countries. There needs to be a balance found between protecting the rights of people and making sure that there are ways of discovering who is doing what online if due process and necessity is shown.
ReplyDeleteAs privacy is changed, copyright laws need to be readressed as well. Especially as more and more content becomes digital and physical products are less common, the ability to duplicate files, information, instantly and without cost. The old models no longer apply and as a computer engineer, we have a first hand interaction with the technology that is changing the landscape. We need to figure out methods of applying technology in an ethical and just way for not only the consumer, but also the owner/companies.
One of the biggest issues today is healthcare, we have more and more health fields than ever before and no way to easily manage data about our health. With the current advances in nanotech, embedded systems, mass storage, and wireless communication the medical field could be revolutionized with the right technology.
ReplyDeleteEveryone should have easy access to data about their health, and it would allow doctors to collaborate much easier. However, with this advance comes more privacy and security issues, which will require careful design to assure that this type of data is safe.
I think that being an engineer in any specter is a bid input in the society. An engineer is a person that is a master of his/her field. Either it is a computer, mechanical, or an industrial. Engineers help the manufacturing business, innovation of technology, and agricultural means. Engineering is the most beneficial and efficient way for development of civilization. For example, petroleum engineers make drilling more efficient and less polluting. Nuclear engineers provide the population with a very cheap energy, even though it is an extremely dangerous job. By all means scientists and engineers, in my opinion, are the engine of the Earth development. The world is in need of new and more suitable innovations due to the growth of population and the decline of scarce resources.
ReplyDeleteBeing an engineer and more specifically a computer systems engineer is and will be more important that ever in my mind. In todays world everything is becoming automated or assisted by computers. Its the way of the future and the faster we can continue this path the better. Not only will these technologies make out lives easier but it will also can help out our government and economy. If we develop way to make products that other people want it can boost our economy.
ReplyDeleteI plan to use what I learn here to try and get a job doing something that I love. I would also feel good knowing that I'm doing could potentially help many other people's lives too.
I chose this path for my major because it interests me and I hope it will keep me motivated. So far I have been enjoying my classes and I hope it will continue. I have always loved computer and am very interested about how they work and how to design whole systems myself.