According to Purdue University website, Multidisciplinary Engineering is designed for those who plan to practice engineering as a career but whose specific career goals cannot be accommodated within one of the traditional engineering fields. This requires considerable flexibility and it will permit anybody to develop an individual plan of study to meet educational goals that require bringing together multiple engineering disciplines at an advanced level to solve societal challenges. However, all these engineers must acquire the basics/fundamentals of engineering. This will otherwise make an engineer without a solid platform to solve an engineering problem.

Multidisciplinary engineering is an excellent preparation for a career in industry. They work as engineers in industry, managers, entrepreneurs who start their own companies, and go into a variety of other areas. Important professional attributes include communication skills, the art of self-learning, teamwork, and ethics. These skills prepare anybody for research and development positions in industry, as well as for careers in management, sales, teaching, medicine, and law.

World has moved rapidly towards this end. Journal of Multidisciplinary Engineering Science and Technology (JMEST) is a peer-reviewed, online international journal published monthly based in Germany. JMEST is a highly-selective journal, covering topics that appeal to a broad readership of various branches of engineering, science and related fields.

At IESL, we are trying to be smart, but still there is no discussion to get these multidisciplinary engineers/professionals onboard. Traditional engineering will be practiced by the majority, but still we have to entertain the other engineers who have seen the world in a different way and ultimately become successful. We can propose an award at the engineering excellence as the Best Multidisciplinary Engineer of the year.

However, IESL has some freedom to change their discipline; I have been serving that sub-committee, some engineers used to change their field because of later interests and new exposure. I strongly recommend this new field for IESL to consider; Multidisciplinary Engineering where engineers can do marvels and we must be geared up to recognize them.

Udeni P. Nawagamuwa
nawagamuwa@gmail.com