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Innovation and progress are two terms that pop up in our minds when we discuss engineers. Are you wondering about what the world be like with no engineers? Imagine a world of chaos – no houses, no pipelines, no electricity, and of course no electronic devices from which you are reading this article.
While we appreciate their contribution to the world, let us take a moment and go back to learning about those engineers who have impacted the engineering world and continue to do so with their ground-breaking research.
Moshkagundam Visvesvaraya, born in Mysore, British India is renowned for his contributions to Automatic Sluice Gates and Block irrigation systems. His inventions are up to be engineering marvels in the world of engineering. His interest in nation-building and engineering has won him prestigious awards, including India’s highest honour, Bharat Ratna.
To honour his eternal achievements that have turned around lives with dams and electricity in each home, India celebrates Engineers Day every 15th September. May his glorious inventions enable more discoveries and inventions by Indian engineers.
Alan Mathison Turing, also considered the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence is known for his significant contributions to engineering. This includes his joint contributions to mathematics, cryptanalysis, logic, philosophy, and mathematical biology.
Mr. Turing, who developed and invented machines during World War II, is best known for solving the mystery of the 'enigma machine' Germans used to communicate in confidence. During his extensive work in computers, his catchphrase was - Among those problems that can be solved by a computer, which ones can be solved efficiently?
Making Paris known for its famous Eiffel Tower, Gustave Eiffel is a French civil engineer renowned for his work on one of the most travelled tourist spots in the world. His contributions do not limit themselves to the Eiffel Tower.
He is also known to have worked closely on the Statue of Liberty, another tourist attraction in the United States. His work also resounds in the Porto viaduct over the river Douro, the Garabit viaduct, the Pest railway station in Hungary, the dome of the Nice observatory, and more.
Known as the ‘Indian Rocket Man’ through his expertise and involvement in developing ballistic missiles and rocket technology, Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam contributed over and beyond as he served as the 11th President of India (2002-2007). His vast contributions to the aerospace engineering world include the infamous Pokhran II nuclear test, the Rohini satellite, and SLV-III.
Dr. Kalam was not just a project leader. He led India and its youth towards developing the country via science and research. In his time as the President of India, he has pushed projects in the areas of science and culture helping make India as it is today.
One of the few women engineers in the world in the 19th century, Babbitt was concerned with the waste generated by chopping wood. To promote sustainability, resource preservation, and timely delivery of wood for various projects, Babbitt built equipment that became famous as the two-person whipsaw.
With time, she invented the circular saw powered by a water-powered device. This may be a smaller invention among the engineers in this blog. Yet, it is an invention in an era where women were confined within homes is a revolutionary step towards helping women enter the world of engineering.
Alice Parker's concept could be accepted with gratitude by electrical engineers and by homes that use central heating throughout the winter. This African American inventor laid the groundwork for the ultimate creation of the contemporary central heating system. Her gas-powered home heating system was complex and challenging to put into action. This offered those in the next-gen the inspiration to create a new model that generates heat during the cold.
She may be long forgotten due to the complexities in her system, but her patent in 1919 has proved that women in engineering can make a huge impact in the lives of common people. Her invention has enabled millions of homes to be warm and ward off the cold in regions with heavy snow and freezing temperatures.
Kurien, originally a mechanical engineer, pursued a degree in dairy engineering. The engineering community now recognizes Verghese Kurien’s '1 Billion Litre Idea' and revolution in the dairy industry. India now boasts the largest self-sufficient industry in the world for primary rural employment sectors thanks to the White Revolution's Operation Flood, which transformed the dairy product market.
The Anand model created with the cooperation of the Gujarat government gave birth to the dairy cooperative ‘Amul’ and has supported millions of Indians, especially women in becoming independent via dairy farming. Numerous recognitions and honours have been received by Mr. Kurien such as the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership (1963) and the World Food Prize (1989).
The father of the Pentium microprocessor chip, Vinod Dham is associated as a co-inventor of flash memory technology. The technology is known as SD cards and is widely utilized in USB drives and digital cameras. His other inventions include AMD K, and Intel’s Flash Memory technology (ETOX). His contribution to computer science and engineering has helped him to be promoted to Vice President of the Microprocessor Group at Intel Co.
Bringing Metro services to India with projects such as the Delhi Metro and Kolkata Metro makes E Sreedharan one of the top Indian engineers who deserves a mention on Engineers Day in India.
His contribution to the public transport system helped him bag the Padma Shri Medal in 2001 and the Padma Viboushan Award in 2008. International acclaim for this work in this sector motivated France to award Mr. Sreedharan with France’s highest folk decoration, the Medal of Honour.
A huge contributor to Apple’s success, Wozniak, fondly known as Woz, was integral in bringing out the world’s first successful personal computer in the 1970s. His business skills alongside engineering helped Apple raise a whopping $1.77 Billion in investment when the company went public in 1980.
His ground-breaking work in computer engineering ensured that every home had a personal computer. His achievements have grown the computer industry multi-fold and inspired companies to take a step towards providing accessible and budget-friendly connectivity to the global world.
If you are on the way to being an engineer, you must be aware that we cannot end the blog without Elon Musk. Co-founded six companies including Tesla, SpaceX, and Boring Company, Musk has worked towards improving space technology with his team.
The world is filled with engineers with great work and achievements, but we had space for the top 11 engineers in our blog. Engineering is not just precision components, it is the idea that sparks in your mind and the result you create with those components.
Remember that inventing incredible inventions requires dedication and practical experience. If our blog inspired you to pursue a career in engineering and your goals line up with famous engineers in this blog, we're confident we can help you get the expertise you require to succeed.
By being a part of JAIN (Deemed-to-be University) - Faculty of Engineering and Technology, you can rest assured that knowledge and opportunities come hand in hand with your growth. Why wait longer to be a part of the engineering world? Start your journey towards a better tomorrow. We await to hear innovative ideas from you!