In any engineering discipline, your education doesn’t end the moment you earn a Bachelor’s degree. A successful career in the field involves a figurative lifetime of learning new technologies and methodologies. Failure to keep up with the latest industry trends puts you at the risk of failing behind in your career. It can become easy to rest on your accomplishments, but to continue to advance in your career, there are a number of ways to keep improving.

With that in mind, here are a few strategies to help engineers stay current with the latest innovations in their industry.

Continuing Education is a Requirement for Engineering Licensure

When you are licensed as a professional engineer in your state, expect that some form of continuing education is a requirement for keeping your license. The National Society of Professional Engineer’s (NSPE) PE Institute is a great resource for the educational seminars, events, and classes specific to your engineering discipline that you’ll need to stay a licensed PE. As the latest industry trends enter the mainstream, you can expect the PE Institute to offer materials to help keep you up to date. Take advantage of those materials as they are continually offered.

Don’t forget to Nurture a Professional Network

Developing your own professional network is a key aspect of staying abreast of the latest engineering innovations. Become active on any LinkedIn Groups or any local organizations related to your field. LinkedIn Groups are a good source for articles and other materials on what’s new in engineering, while those local engineering organizations typically host seminars covering the latest in engineering. Don’t just read those articles. By commenting on articles that you find interesting, that fosters discussion and potentially leads to networking opportunities.

Becoming a Well-Read Professional Engineer

Self-study is another great way to keep up to date with new engineering trends. Engineering magazine subscriptions and books help you become a well-read engineer, and in many cases they facilitate the continuing education needed to maintain your PE status. Once again, the NSPE offers great resources of reading material worth checking out for any engineer.

Following these three simple strategies helps to keep your engineering skills and knowledge state of the art.

If you need additional insight on career development, talk to the insightful recruiters at The Talley Group. As one of the top engineering staffing agencies in Washington, we are also a great source of Seattle engineering jobs. Schedule some time with us today!

One of the biggest trends in information technology revolves around the concept of “Big Data,” essentially large data stores driven by any number of sources — social media and any variety of scientific processes being some of the largest. Deriving actionable information out of the mass of Big Data has led to a growth in the importance of data analytics by creating a new profession known as a “data scientist.”

But what about leveraging the promise of Big Data within the practice of engineering? Let’s take a look at how some engineering professionals are making use of massive amounts of data in their jobs.

Big Data helping the Process of Mining Engineering

Mining engineers in Australia are taking advantage of the Big Data generated by the mining equipment used in the country. Faced with information overload from this data, some companies are using remote operation centers where data analysts spend their days searching for the meaningful information contained within this real-time data.

One scenario where Big Data is making a difference involves improving the time of the haul cycle where trucks pick up and deliver freshly-mined coal (or other minerals). Analysts were able to determine the issues causing trucks to be delayed. Speeding up the haul cycles by just one minute allows a fleet of 50 trucks to carry an additional 36,500 loads each year!

Improving Engineering Design with Big Data

Wired Magazine recently noted that engineers and designers are taking advantage of human behavior — translated into data points in a Big Data store — to improve their design models before the costly process of prototyping. The valuable information stored within the data offers additional context, improving the designs themselves while speeding up the creative process and helping products reach the marketplace more quickly.

If these engineering innovations derived from Big Data inspire you to take your career to the next level, talk to the experts at The Talley Group. As one of the leading engineering staffing agencies in Washington State, we remain a great source for Seattle engineering jobs. Make it a point to schedule some time with us today.

One of the most rewarding aspects of the engineering field comes when the hard work of engineers helps humanity in some measure. Researchers at the University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering recently released the findings from a study using humanoid robots to help autistic children, and even Alzheimer’s patients, learn autonomous tasks.

Needless to say, their work appears to be very promising. Let’s take a closer look.

Robots helping Autistic Children to Learn

The USC study, led by Maja Matarić, Vice Dean for Research at the Viterbi School, leveraged humanoid shaped robots performing specific cues or prompts to help patients learn — or relearn — a variety of skills. The study subjects essentially played a game of copycat with the robots. Matarić commented on the study’s hopes.

“There is a vast health care need that can be aided by intelligent machines capable of helping people of all ages to be less lonely, to do rehabilitative exercises, and to learn social behaviors,” Matarić said. “There’s so much that can be done that can complement human care as well as other emerging technologies.”

The robots give feedback by saying “Good Job!” when the children successfully imitate their cues. If they aren’t successful, the robot simply repeats the cue. The ultimate hope is that the autistic children would learn the right social skills to help them better interact with other kids during gameplay.

Children who received the robotic feedback tended to show improved performance as the tests continued. Those in a control group with no feedback, showed no marked improvement. “The idea is to eventually give every child a personalized robot dedicated to providing motivation and praise and nudges toward more integration,” Matarić said.

The promising early results from the USC study once again display how engineering innovations hold the potential to benefit humanity.

If the work at the USC Viterbi School inspires you to take your engineering career to the next level, talk to the experts at The Talley Group. As one of the top technical staffing agencies in Washington State, they are also a great source for Seattle engineering jobs. Schedule some time with The Talley Group today!

Traditionally a male-dominated field, the world of engineering continues to see more women become active in the discipline and 2014 was no exception. From Debbie Sterling’s GoldieBlox to Ayah Bdeir and her Lego-like electronics modules, LittleBits, women are succeeding in inspiring girls to become interested in engineering.

When girls inspired by engineering at an early age become old enough to join the workforce, these new engineers honed on GoldieBlox and LittleBits hopefully won’t feel alone. With that said, there is still more work to be done to bring more women into the engineering field. Let’s take a closer look at how to improve the number of women in engineering.

California State University Northridge helping to develop Women Engineers

California State University Northridge (CSUN) suffers from an acute lack of females in their engineering and computer science schools. Only 12.3 percent of students enrolled in those programs were women as of the Fall of 2013. CSUN’s Bonita J. Campbell Endowment for Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) was created with the hope to raise that percentage.

A professional civil engineer, Lilly Shraibati, serves on the advisory board for WISE. She was initially dissuaded from entering the field by her engineer uncles. “Everyone should follow their dreams without worrying whether it’s appropriate,” she countered.

STEM Education remains Vital in Attracting Females to Engineering

One of WISE’s main goals is to encourage more female students to take STEM classes in school; hoping that this engenders the inspiration to ultimately choose engineering as a profession. Finding peers is another key in keeping female students enrolled in engineering classes.

Courtney Yoshimoto, president of CSUN’s Society of Women Engineers club, notes the lack of peers in her program. “Being in school as an engineer, there’s not a lot of girls in your class,” she said. “It’s hard to find study groups and peers that are there to help you out, that’s what I feel has been the hardest part.”

If you are a female looking to enter the engineering field, talk to the experts at The Talley Group. As one of the top engineering staffing agencies on the west coast, and a woman-owned company, the Talley Group offers the unique insights to help you find a rewarding career in engineering — no matter your gender. Contact them today!

There’s no doubt that petroleum engineering remains one of the most lucrative engineering disciplines. Even with the specter of climate change looming, the oil and gas industry continues to thrive, especially considering the expansion in drilling for the comparatively clean natural gas. Finding ways to make fossil fuels cleaner offers a chance for the innovative application of science — a role in which many engineers thrive.

If you are interested in transitioning your career to the world of petroleum, what additional skills do you need to master? Which of your engineering abilities are still relevant? Let’s take a closer look.

Geography Skills are a Must with Petroleum Engineering

One skill needed by petroleum engineers that isn’t commonly held by most other engineering disciplines other than Civil, is geography. Performing site surveys, drilling for oil and gas, as well as pipeline routing all require a strong grasp of geographic principles.

Problem Solving Skills in the Field are Vital

Oil and gas engineers need critical problem solving skills while in the field. Petroleum engineering, in many cases, isn’t a lab job; it requires days working on site handing extraction problems in a large variety of locations — the ocean, the desert, or almost anywhere oil and gas are found. Quick critical thinking serves oil and gas engineers well.

Be Prepared to Spend a long Time on the Road

Because of the requirement to be on site working on extraction projects, petroleum engineers spend many days or weeks in a row on the road. Keep this in mind if you value your family life. Some sacrifices may have to be made, but understand that compensation earned by petroleum engineers — some of the highest for engineers of all types — makes it worthwhile.

If you are interested in becoming a petroleum engineer, a good source of advice are the experts at The Talley Group. As one of the top engineering staffing agencies in Washington State, they are also a great source of Seattle petroleum engineering jobs. Make it a point to schedule a meeting with them today to see if making the move to the world of oil and gas makes sense for you.

While robotics has long been part of the modern industrial factory, recent innovations by engineers are helping intelligent machines make the manufacturing process more efficient and less costly. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in the European Union embarked on the SkillPro research project with the hope of reducing manufacturing changeover times in factories.

Let’s take a closer look at their progress.

Improving Changeover Times for Small Production Runs

Currently, it takes too much time to switch around the manufacturing process at a factory when beginning a production run for a new product. In many cases, the preparation and setup actually take longer than the actual manufacturing run itself. KIT’s SkillPro project looks to improve things through the use of intelligent machines.

Thomas Maier, Managing Director of KIT’s Institute for Information Management in Engineering (IMI) commented on the project’s goals. “Machines equipped with additional intelligence and communicating with each other are expected to significantly reduce the changeover time,” said Maier.

These machines are able to automatically recognize changes to parts through the use of optical sensors. This will greatly reduce the programming time necessary to perform changeovers between production runs.

Factory Robots communicating with each Other

Smart machines in the SkillPro project are also able to communicate with each other when a new part is built and needs to be transported from one step to another in the manufacturing process. A mobile robot then ferries the part to the next machine.

The SkillPro project has the potential to revolutionize the manufacturing of the niche products typically produced at small to medium-sized enterprises. Robotic manufacturing is no longer the sole domain of large automobile conglomerates. The research project hopes to be completed by the end of next year; a mid-period evaluation report proved successful for the KIT engineers.

If the SkillPro project is the kind of engineering-driven manufacturing innovation that inspires you to take your career to its next level, talk to the staffing experts at The Talley Group. As one of the top engineering recruiting agencies in the Seattle metropolitan area, they can provide both the insight and the Seattle engineering job listings to further your engineering career. Schedule some time with The Talley Group today.

Even in today’s social media driven job marketplace, the old-fashioned résumé remains the most important part of a job hunter’s arsenal. Considering the amount of detail on an engineering résumé — work history accomplishments, technical abilities, etc. — format and clarity are vital. Here are five tips for constructing an effective engineering résumé.

A Clear Format helps the Hiring Manager

As mentioned earlier, the detail on an engineering résumé places the onus on quality formatting to help hiring managers quickly determine whether the candidate might be a good fit. With piles of potential employees to peruse, the HR staff works quickly during this first part of the hiring process. Leverage bullet points, a clean type face, selective text formatting (bold and italics), and wide margins to enhance the look of your résumé.

Focus on the Accomplishments in your Work History

Hiring managers want to see tangible accomplishments in your work history — not merely a listing of your job duties. Don’t shy away from using numbers to detail your on-the-job performance. If your engineering idea saved the company a certain amount of money in production, mention that fact.

Keep the Design Elements Simple

Remember that this is an engineering résumé, not something for the interior design or graphics arts industry. As such, keep the overall design of the résumé simple. Eschew the use of multiple font choices or other design elements that detract from your accomplishments and abilities.

A Career Summary works better than an Objective

A two or three sentence objective at the top of a résumé has become passé. Instead, use this space for a career summary that will attract the attention of the hiring manager.

Once it’s written, Network your Résumé

Once you’ve finished your résumé, it is important to get it out to the people who can help your career. Publish a version of it on your LinkedIn account. Meet with the top staffing agencies in your local region, as they are a great source for job leads and career advice.

As one of the top engineering staffing companies in the Seattle area, the Talley Group should definitely get a copy. They have the recruiters on hand who have a line on the top Seattle engineering jobs. Schedule some time with them today!

Networking remains a vital part of career development no matter the industry. If you are an oil and gas engineer, you need to grow your professional network, leveraging both local opportunities and online sites like LinkedIn.

Untimely mistakes can also detract from your networking efforts. Here are five missteps you need to be sure to avoid when attending a professional networking opportunity.

1. Only Interacting with those you already know at an Event

Networking events are designed for professionals to meet new people in their field. Interacting only with people you already know at an event defeats the purpose of attending. Get over any shyness and introduce yourself!

2. Not Maintaining a Confident Demeanor

It is important to exude confidence when networking. Believe in yourself and your engineering abilities and it will show when meeting new people at any professional event.

3. Don’t Treat your Network as a One Way Street

Of course you want to grow your professional network, but so do the other attendees at this event. Make it a point to introduce anyone you meet to others with whom you maintain a professional relationship. One way networks aren’t valuable to any career.

4. Networking isn’t about collecting Business Cards

Focus more on talking with and learning about your new connection before asking for their business card. Some professionals merely collect a ton of business cards with little forethought on what to do with them. Establishing a true connection is more important than a piece of card stock.

5. Never Following Up is a Big Networking Mistake

Following up with each your new contacts after any event truly establishes a professional connection. If you don’t follow up, chances are you will be forgotten with only a lonely business card to trigger a memory. Don’t let that happen!

Remember these potential networking mistakes before heading off to your next professional event.

If you need any additional advice on professional networking in the oil and gas industry, talk to the experts at The Talley Group. As one of the top engineering staffing agencies in Washington State, they are a great source for Seattle engineering jobs. Be sure to schedule a meeting with them today!

The carbohydrates found in sugar and other starchy foods are commonly known as an energy source for humans and other animals. What some researchers at Virginia Tech are working on utilizes sugar in a unique matter — as a material giving a battery its “juice.” It gives the term “sugar buzz” a totally new meaning.

Early Research reveals the Promise of Sugar

When compared to their lithium ion counterparts, these new sugar powered batteries developed in the lab are capable of storing 10 times as much energy. More importantly, sugar is much more environmentally friendly than the materials currently used in battery manufacturing. The nation’s landfills stand to benefit if and when these batteries become commercially available.

Improving the Extraction of Electrons from Glucose

Scientists have been aware of the promise of sugar and carbohydrates as a power source. Traditionally, the problem involved the inefficiency when extracting electrons from their glucose units. Previous researchers were happy to harvest one or two electrons from a glucose unit in the lab.

A Virginia Tech professor of biological systems engineering, Percival Zhang, created an enzyme path capable of extracting all 24 electrons from one unit of glucose. A series of chemical reactions using this enzyme path works its magic, producing energy. “We just put everything together, and they do everything by themselves—they are chemically selective catalysts,” said Zhang.

Maltodextrin: not just for Junk Food Anymore

Zhang noted that maltodextrin — a partially hydrolyzed starch normally used in junk food production — is cheaper than other forms of sugar. It also releases its energy in a more controlled fashion. Expect this technology, once it is successfully commercialized, to be used in mobile technology like smartphones, where users would “recharge” their phone by filling the device with a sugar-based solution.

Now instead of mobile phone users misplacing their chargers, they will forget to bring their flask of sugar water!

If the innovations of sweet power inspire you to take your engineering career to its next level, talk to the experts at The Talley Group. One of the top engineering staffing agencies in Washington State, they remain a great source of Seattle engineering jobs. Schedule some time with them today!

The engineering world typically produces accomplishments that benefit many. The scope of this rewarding work ranges from improving the bottom lines of many engineering companies, to making life better for the human race as a whole. The year of 2013 was no exception, as the feats of talented engineers once again earned accolades.

Here is a list of some of the top engineering achievements of 2013. Maybe they will inspire or at least amaze you?

A State of the Art Helicopter — Powered by Humans

Fred Flintstone enjoyed a human powered “automobile” when traveling around his prehistoric world, but the stuff of Hanna-Barbara cartoons actually became reality in 2013. A Canadian team won the Igor I. Sikorsky Human Powered Helicopter Competition last year with a design capable of sustained flight for over one minute.

The copter only reached a height of 10 feet, so don’t expect it to serve traffic reporting needs anytime soon, but it was the first design to actually win the award in the competition’s 33-year history. Impressive!

Thought-controlled Medical Devices make Headway

Brain-computer interfaces saw much advancement in 2013, bringing “The Six Million Dollar Man” closer to reality. A thought-controlled wheelchair gives mobility to quadriplegics like never before; while moveable prosthetic limbs improve the quality of life for amputees. Expect continued advancements in this area of medical technology by the end of the decade.

Driverless Cars on the Highway

Google has been in the news for their own driverless car project — not bad for a company that derives most of its revenue from a web search engine. An actual automobile manufacturer, Volvo, is also developing a robotic car with a stated goal to completely eliminate driver fatalities. Volvo’s “Drive Me” project expects to bring 100 driverless 2014 Volvo XC90s to the roads of Sweden by 2017.

There remains little doubt that the practice of engineering gives the opportunity to change the world for the better in many different ways. If you want to be part of this exciting time, talk to the folks at The Talley Group. As one of the top engineering staffing agencies in the Seattle area, they offer the insight to take your career to the ultimate level; helping you make a difference. Schedule time with them today and find about some great Seattle engineering jobs!