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Developing the Engineer from the Perspective of Calling - Providing a Means to Overcome Anxiety through Discipleship
Get PDFCollege is a crossroads, where students can reflect on what they want to accomplish with their lives. This generation of students are reporting extremely high anxiety. There is stress related to making crucial life decisions and students need the assurance of God’s leading and guidance instead of relying on social media for wisdom. Discipleship and mentoring are key. They build resilience through spiritual support and foster confidence as individuals learn to interface with God. Discipleship is defined as walking with people in their daily life struggles and teaching them how to listen to and hear God’s voice. This paper applies discipleship in the modality of a bi-monthly group meal fellowship followed by a Bible study discussion. Meaning is explored in the context of a small group for deeper fellowship and discussion on topics of the group’s choosing. We utilize “affinity exercises” to focus the group on developing their ability to begin hearing and seeing God at work during this season of preparation for the real world while they are learning the basics of engineering and life. Students have been guided through scripture, fellowship, and prayer in building their spiritual walk, and encouraging them to become integrated within a faith community. Additionally, for those who request it, one-on-one mentoring is provided through weekly in-person meetings and other forms of interactions
Engineering Opportunities in International Development Ministry
Get PDFEngineers possess unique opportunities to impact social needs in the developing world while also communicating their faith and providing testimony to the positive holistic nature of the gospel message. Developing countries desire the dynamics which propelled development in Western countries centuries ago. These unfulfilled desires for advancement are symptomatic of a greater need for the Kingdom of God and provide an open door to express a Biblical perspective of work, science, technology, and development in a way that leads others to faith in Jesus Christ.
Civil engineering offers the opportunity to tangibly express biblical theology while responding to strong felt needs in a practical way with a level of excellence that captures the attention of our audience and underlines verbal proclamation of God’s Word. In Genesis,[i] the Lord sends us, mankind, to unleash the earth’s potential to provide for human needs and to care for the earth. Engineers need to be aware of the theological foundations of their profession to strategically use their skills as an expression of the Gospel message, whether practicing their profession locally or internationally. Engineering designs, reports, and projects that provide for important basic human needs express the compassion of Jesus Christ and the values of Scripture that lead to a more prosperous ethical society which glorifies our Maker. Each project offers opportunity to demonstrate the depth and comprehensive nature of the good news, the Kingdom of God fleshed out in practical ways.
[i] Genesis 2:15
Engineering Education in Developing Nations: Status Update on the School of Engineering at Northrise University in Ndola, Zambia
Get PDFThis paper is a follow-on to our first paper at the 2022 CEC where we—the Northrise Engineering Development Team—discussed the progress-to-date on the School of Engineering at Northrise University in Ndola, Zambia. In that same vein, the present paper will describe the highlights of progress between then and now—namely, that the curriculum has been submitted to the Higher Education Authority for approval, the building has been completed, and the Head of Department has been hired and is on-site working toward an opening date of January 2025. Additionally, we will give significant attention to lessons learned since the beginning of this initiative, which began in earnest around 2016, with the aim of providing insight for others who might be involved in similar projects. Finally, a section is included that describes the distinctives of the Engineering program at Northrise.
Northrise University is a Christ-centered higher education institution located in Ndola, Zambia. Initially opening its doors in 2003, the Lord has blessed the university with steady, gospel-rooted growth over the years that have followed. More information about Northrise can be found on their website: www.northrise.edu.zm
What Engineers Can Learn from Wendell Berry
Get PDFBorn in 1934, Wendell Berry is a well-known poet, novelist, and essayist from rural Henry County, Kentucky. Berry moved away from his family’s farm as a young man and experienced success in his writing and teaching career, until, in 1965, he gave up a prestigious position at New York University to return to and work the farm. He is a farmer as well as an accomplished author, having written well over fifty publications including books of poems, volumes of essays, series of novels, and collections of short stories. His work has earned many prestigious awards, including the National Humanities Medal (National Endowment for the Humanities, 2010), the Poets’ Prize (Nicholas Roerich Museum, 2000), and The Dean’s Cross for Servant Leadership in Church and Society (Virginia Theological Seminary, 2014).
The major themes woven throughout Berry’s writings include the importance of physical place, community, human flourishing, and appropriate scale, all vital considerations to those working to develop creation from a Christian perspective. Berry is well-known for choosing to live a more traditional life, intentionally forgoing many modern conveniences. Throughout his work, Berry also shines a light on the past, discussing how our culture moved from primarily agrarian to a post-industrial revolution society, giving valuable context to our work and lives. Berry is perhaps most recognized for emphasizing humanity’s connection to the land, focusing on direct stewardship and responsibility for creation. His agrarian worldview often underscores humanity in terms of creaturely life, respecting limits and celebrating life in community.
In his essays, Berry uses prose to champion strong communities and generational wisdom, and to critique what he calls modern, mechanized life. Berry also uses his writings to answer the historical questions of what happened, such as: What happened to rural communities? What happened to small farms and local economies? What happened to the agrarian-centric cultural mindset? Berry often explains how economic and political developments impacted the real people living and working in rural areas. Through the lens of someone who values place, community, and appropriate technology, we can learn about and consider the impact of major forces like the Industrial Revolution, World War II, and even something as nebulous as widespread adoption of the tractor. Along with Berry, we can also ponder the effects of cultural changes, such as what it means for our society to compensate work with an hourly wage, how the normalization of debt and financing impacted work and communities, and the real costs and benefits of consolidating schools.
In his novels and short stories, Berry writes of a community located in the fictional town of Port William, Kentucky. The most powerful stories are written from the perspective of an elderly main character, looking back at his or her lifetime and giving account, with wisdom and perspective sprinkled throughout. This narrative device is an effective method of reminding readers of the changes that can and will happen throughout a lifetime: circumstances will not always stay the same, people will move in and out of our lives, and we ourselves will change as we age and grow and live through all the stages of life. In this way, Berry’s work can widen the context to include not only a physical place but also the span of an entire lifetime, and help us to remember the big picture: our stories begin and end, interwoven with the stories of others and nestled inside God’s grand story of redemption.
In his poetry, Berry writes beautifully along his common themes of people, land, and community. In a well-loved series of poems, Berry utilizes a character referred to as the “mad farmer.” The narrative of the mad farmer is that in a society that is frantically chasing wealth and power and motivated by greed, someone that is heartily sane will appear to be the insane one, or “mad.” In Berry’s famous poem, Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front, he begins by critiquing the modern mindset, then calls readers to action through seemingly contradictory directives. He says, “So, friends, every day do something that won’t compute,” then gives examples such as: “Work for nothing.” “Ask the questions that have no answers.” “Be joyful though you have considered all the facts.” And then, his resolute closing instruction: “Practice resurrection.” [1]
This manifesto with its ridiculous advice reminds me of 1 Corinthians 1:18, where Paul writes, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” To those chasing the temporary satisfaction of quick profits, material goods, or collections of personal experiences, the greatest commandment directing us to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength,” and then the second: “Love your neighbor as yourself,” might seem like nothing but foolishness, but as Christians, we know our satisfaction comes from work well done in service to God.
It may seem contradictory to look to someone who is known to eschew modern conveniences as inspiration for engineers, but Wendell Berry provides a thought-provoking perspective that is beneficial for all people to engage, perhaps especially Christians, and perhaps even more especially those Christians who are actively working to develop creation through the art of engineering. Christian engineers are called to act as God’s agents of restoration, working to cultivate and keep creation, design holistically, and nurture a practice of responsible engineering [2]. By reading the words of Wendell Berry, we can be better prepared to recognize – and even appreciate – limits, standards, and boundaries, better understand what it means to be a steward of creation, and widen the context of our work and lives.
Perhaps we can be emboldened by Berry’s fictional mad farmer and become mad engineers, wholeheartedly working to both cultivate and keep creation, even if we appear foolish. Our manifesto, then, as inspired by Berry’s work, might include directives such as: recognize and respect limits, count the intangible costs and benefits, love your place, and, along with the mad farmers, practice resurrection.
In this paper, I will reflect on the main themes of Berry’s writings as summarized in the mad engineer directives, discuss how they may be helpful to Christian engineers as we strive to serve responsibly and faithfully, and give examples of application in case studies along the way
2020 Aflame
Get PDFThis work was finished in 2020 in the midst of the covid 19 pandemic. The colored Pencil work represents how 2020 began an unexpected collapse and despair for many people. Everyone felt the heat in 2020. For many it felt like our world was on fire and we could do nothing but tolerate it. In this creative and detail colored pencil artwork I have illustrated how I and many others felt during this time period
Ice King
Get PDFPolar bears....... the largest and most majestic of all bears have lived in the most remote and desolate places on planet earth. A male polar bear can average 900 pounds and have a height of 7-9 feet. These bears may at first glance seem to be all fur and fat, lacking form and definition. Yet, on further inspection these bears have beautiful form and contour, definition and clear appearance. A polar bears natural form is both beautiful and subtle in nature requiring a careful study of their movements and proportions. I have sought to do this through the creation of the foam core sculpture called Ice King. Ice King is a sculpture exploring the form and proportions of an adult polar bear as well as seeking to balance the armature/ understructure and outer cover or skin. This piece is representational in form, yet simplified in the treatment of skin, ears, and claws. It was created through the construction of a central foam core spine with cross sections carefully shaped to follow the form of a bear in motion. Ice King is roughly 22 inches in length and 10-12 inches in height
Comparison of the Ketogenic Diet and the Mediterranean Diet in Symptom Management in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
Get PDFRationale
In women of reproductive age, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine and metabolic disorder causing excess androgen production, irregular ovulation with abnormal menstrual cycles, and ovarian cysts. Obesity, insulin resistance, and other hormone imbalances are associated with PCOS. Non-pharmacological treatments, including therapeutic diets, evaluate the effectiveness of symptom reduction and sustaining long-term management.
Question
Therapeutic diets are an effective non-pharmacological method to manage some of the common PCOS symptoms. Among these, the Ketogenic diet and the Mediterranean diet show promising results. In women with PCOS, how does the Mediterranean diet compare to the Ketogenic diet in managing symptoms?
Literature Search
By searching PubMed and using specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, 10 articles were selected to explore the relationship between the Ketogenic diet versus the Mediterranean diet in symptom management in women with PCOS.
Appraisal Method
The John Hopkins Method was used to appraise the research articles used in this study to determine the strength and quality in answering our research question.
Best-Evidence Synthesis
In women with PCOS, diet adherence improves symptom management and corrects hormonal imbalances. The Ketogenic and Mediterranean diets differ in short and long-term symptom management, as the short-term studies revealed the Ketogenic diet successfully manages PCOS symptoms and imbalanced hormones. In comparison, the Mediterranean diet provides similar results to the Ketogenic diet, although it may not be as effective as quickly. Overall, the articles suggest that the Mediterranean diet is more sustainable and a better diet to maintain throughout a lifetime.
Recommendations
From the research conducted in this study, further longitudinal studies will increase the confidence in the sustainability of the Ketogenic diet versus the more commonly used anti-inflammatory Mediterranean die