Tennessee Tech University Department of Computer Science Blog

Innovation is the crucial gear that drives engineering and technological revolution alike. Through innovation, the world has seen major breakthroughs in science and research in the past and the present. The curious aspect of innovation is that it makes it extremely hard to predict the future needs and wants of people. Take for instance the internet. Pre-internet, engineers would not have expected to people to need so much technology in their life. Post-internet, engineers could not imagine creating something that is not in some way related to connectivity or communication one way or another. In this way, predictions that were made for the class of 2020 concerning curriculum and research more than 5 years ago are simply not true to reality. Innovation in the world has formed wall that keeps us blind to the future.

It’s important to understand that our inability to see the future is not a hindrance but an advantage. It keeps our efforts present and relevant to the desires of today. Because of this, our innovation today could translate through time into one of the greatest innovations of all time. This not only seems like the most logical progression but also the most natural. We should not be looking to create things that we think people will need or want as by the time they want it, it is very plausible that the innovation would be completely irrelevant.

By limiting us to the present, innovation is creating a better future as a whole for the earth. It creates unity among scientists and engineers that causes collaboration and therefore a greater understanding of the tasks at hand. Through this greater understanding, they are able to create and innovate at a higher rate. Innovation also creates more innovation. If you imagine technological breakthroughs as iterations of the same project as time passes, it is easy to see that innovation in one area does lead to innovation in other areas which just compounds over time.

Furthermore, all efforts concerning the education and advancements of the field in general must be an all-inclusive collaborative effort. Such as reported in the article “Educating the Engineer of 2020: Adapting Engineering Education to the New Century”. It is imperative to to evaluate problems and questions as whole pieces rather than piece by piece. Causes of one part can have countless effects on other parts. For this reason, we as members of the engineering field need to be considerate and aware of our counterparts in our efforts to innovate. We need to understand that our work has major, rippling effects of the other members of our field, good and unfortunately bad. Take for example “core” curriculum, while it ensures that every student has the same knowledge and skill, it stifles creativity and doesn’t allow for much variance in thought process and problem solving. Because of this, the engineering community needs to collectively solve this issue through a unanimous reform to the education of engineers.

Though I hope to change the world through my work in computer science, I understand that my role as a student of the class of 2020 is the same as that of a student from any other graduating class. My purpose is to pave the way to grand innovation in my field, and if it just so happens that my road happens to reach said innovation first, so be it. One way or another, all engineers, scientists and creators alike are necessary and important to innovation that we don’t even know we need yet, so keep on keeping on my fellow innovators and I’ll see you in the future!