5 Ways Engineers are Helping to Shape Our Future

Sacred Heart engineering students are focused on the technology of tomorrow

While no one can predict the future with 100% certainty, engineers tend to have a good idea about what we’ll want and need to live and work in the years to come.

“Engineers are always thinking ahead,” said Okechukwu “Okey” Ugweje, an associate professor of computer science & engineering at Sacred Heart University. “Today, we might have a particular device or technology. But maybe it’s not fast enough or it doesn’t have what consumers want. So how about next year or five years from now? Engineers are continually designing and refining to keep up with present-day and future demands.”

This week is Engineers Week, or EWeek, an event led by the National Society of Professional Engineers. The theme is “Design Your Future,” which is a call to “dream boldly, innovate relentlessly and create a future shaped by our collective ingenuity.”

At Sacred Heart University, aspiring computer engineers and electrical engineers are gaining a strong foundation, through coursework and lab exercises, for these in-demand careers. The U.S. Bureau of Labor expects employment for computer engineers to grow by 7% over the next 10 years, faster than most other occupations. This is just a hair less than electrical engineers, with a job growth outlook of 9%. In 2023, a computer engineer made an average annual salary of $138,080, while an electronics engineer made about $109,010.

Ugweje said students at Sacred Heart learn how to design, build and constantly refine the electrical and computer systems that we’ll need to power and run future systems and devices for everyday tasks and large-scale operations. They also gain real-life experience with industry-supported research within SHU’s IDEA Lab—an open lab space where students explore, invent and discover.

The skills they gain now are paving the way for years to come. Here are five ways engineers are shaping how we will live, work and connect in the future:

1. Paving the way for 6G
2. Preparing for the Internet of Things
3. Powering and leveraging AI’s potential
4. Leading health care innovations
5. Transforming energy distribution

1. Paving the way for 6G

It may seem as if we just got 5G, but the engineering world already has its sights on 6G. With a commercial launch planned for 2030, this sixth generation of wireless technology is expected to transfer data at higher speeds, increase reliability, enhance machine-to-machine communication and better enable immersive experiences, such as virtual reality, Ugweje said.

Ugweje said research is under way to prepare for the arrival of this next-gen tech. Electrical engineers are working on systems to power the network, while computer engineers are working on network management systems, including AI and machine learning. This work is necessary to manage the increased data volume and diverse network of “smart” devices like watches, phones, refrigerators, autonomous vehicles, etc., which leads us to …

2. Preparing for the Internet of Things (IoT)

The Internet of Things (IoT) may sound abstract, but it is a concrete vision of a future network of interconnected “smart devices,” such as home appliances, phones, vehicles, machines, toys, activity trackers, medical devices, air-quality monitors and others. These “things” will communicate with one another, because of software, sensors, artificial intelligence and machine learning systems.

These products will require engineers who can create internal equipment that allows smart devices to “speak” to one another, as well as collect and transmit the data. Engineers also will be designing, developing and maintaining systems to power the devices and the 6G network. “All these devices will have a small computer, what we call embedded systems,” Ugweje said. “We have a course where students study these systems, and we teach them—especially the computer engineers—how to design these small, small computers.”

3. Powering and leveraging AI’s potential

Ugweje said one of the most fundamental ways engineers advance AI capacity and capability is by designing and building microprocessors that are essential to AI and machine learning programs. They provide the processing power to train AI models and fuel the complex calculations needed. Ultimately, they allow AI to provide the “instantaneous” delivery of whatever the program has been tasked to perform.

“We just keep shrinking and shrinking these microprocessors,” Ugweje said. “Some of these chips are smaller than your tiniest fingernail.”

4. Leading health care innovations

The popularity of portable consumer wellness devices is expected to continue to grow, along with the need for engineers to create the internal systems that make them so effective. “These wearable devices can take your temperature, track your sleep, record your fitness activity and many other things,” Ugweje said, adding that internal systems and internet connectivity allow for real-time monitoring and management of vital information. “You can do it on your phone, because a very small machine embedded inside the device that can help you to track everything.”

Engineers also have created and will continue to create cutting-edge medical devices, along with advanced software and digital platforms. Innovations are expected to help doctors diagnose conditions faster and offer personalized treatments, as well as provide them with advanced medical imaging systems and robotic surgery tools.

5. Transforming energy distribution

In the future, electrical and computer engineers will drive energy transformation by optimizing energy generation, distribution and consumption. They’ll design tools, such as AI and machine learning programs, to create more dynamic systems that respond quickly to changing demand.

“One of the first things we look at in our power systems class is the U.S. power structure infrastructure,” Ugweje said. “We go from the generation to the transmission to the distribution and to the consumption—we analyze it. Engineers cannot design anything unless they know how it works.”

In the future, Ugweje said engineers will work on advanced battery technologies to store excess energy and will create smarter, more efficient power grids that reduce energy loss and detect and isolate issues such as outages before they become big problems.

Are you interested in a career in engineering?

“Engineers, by definition, are people who design and build things. Whether it’s computer engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering or biomedical engineering, we design things to make life better and more comfortable,” Ugweje said. “We design things for the benefit of humankind.”

Sacred Heart University offers two engineering programs, a Bachelor of Science in computer engineering and a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering through the ABET-accredited Jack Welch College of Business & Technology, which allows for integration between business and technology. For instance, the computer engineering program’s curriculum is aligned with industry-needed skills, providing the platform for a successful career in computer engineering, systems engineering, software engineering or programming. The electrical engineering program teaches students to design, build and maintain electrical and electronic systems, ranging from large-scale power systems to smart home devices.

You can learn more about SHU’s engineering programs by visiting SHU’s undergraduate admissions webpage or by calling 203-371-7880.