On becoming an engineer part III: Civic responsibility: Even at the pinnacle of your career, your task is not done. New challenges await you as a citizen engineer

Everybody uses the products of engineering. The most ardent antitechnologists read printing, ride in vehicles, wear eyeglasses, wear running shoes, drink liquids, or occasionally determine the time. The typical citizen readily accepts automatic transmission, television sets, portable cassette players, processed food, readily available energy and communications systems, and other technical artifacts of our civilization. On the extreme end of the scale, there are those who almost compulsively have to go out and buy the latest gadget or gizmo. As engineers, we are the principal source for these developments that affect so many people. As such, we have some additional obligations as citizen engineers. In this final article about your transition from the classroom to the “real world,” I comment on our unique perspective as engineers and on our responsibility to communicate our insights to those in our society who lack technical training and understanding.