ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIST IN SOCIETY

CLB 40002

Current Technologist Challenges and Achievements: What Do You Think?

SUBMITTED BY:
Name: Nurul Syahirah binti Zulpikri
ID Number: 55213117231
Group: L01

SUBMITTED TO:
Dr. Siti Hartini binti Hamdan

SUBMISSION DATE:
1st March 2019
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... i

2.0 Challenges ............................................................................................................................ 2

3.0 Achievement ........................................................................................................................ 4

4.0 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 5

5.0 References ............................................................................................................................ 6

i
1.0 Introduction

Technology is the use of scientific knowledge for practical purposes or in our everyday
lives. Basically, we use technology whenever we use our scientific knowledge to achieve
a particular purpose. Technology usually involves a specific equipment that is simple or
complex such as wheel discovery to computers and MP3 player (Wood, 2016). Technology
is widely used in many companies at the moment. In order to ensure that the company
remains competitive, the person in charge or technologist should use technology to create
new products and services, to deliver to customers on time and on budget.

Technologist is a person who is highly qualified professional positioned between the

engineer and the technician and skilled craftmen. Technologists play an important and
unique role in business and industry. Technologists have an understanding of the current
problem arise and use a methodology to solve problems that can lead to innovation by
developing new and improved artifacts, systems and processes (Betoline, 2011).

Example of role of technologist is a technology advocate which requires the ability to

present vision and inspire enthusiasm for the technology and what it can do in the space.
Another role of technologist is a strategist which to identify potential solutions and select
the best path forward for the overall project from the technology perspective.

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2.0 Challenges

In this past few years, there are many problems rise that threaten the ecology of the earth.
These problems need to be solved by the person in charge of the field. Based on the finding,
problems that arise is managing a nitrogen cycle. Nitrogen cycle is a complex
biogeochemical cycle in which nitrogen is converted from its inert molecular atmospheric
form (N2) into a biologically useful form while nitrogen is an important component to
living thing including proteins, DNA, and chlorophyll (Rafferty, 2017). These nitrogen
cycle happen by nitrogen fixation, which it converts nitrogen gas into forms usable by
living organisms.

Figure 2.1: Nitrogen Cycle

Nowadays, human activity has double up the amount of nitrogen present naturally in the
environment with the introduction of pesticides. These unused nitrogen from fertilizer will
drain from soil into stream and river that will give negative impact on ecosystem especially
aquatic life and water supply. The impact of those nitrates from fertilizers will contaminate
drinking water while the agricultural runoff rich in nitrogen and phosphorus created
hundreds of dead zones in coastal waters around the world (Goodrich, 2014). These

2
disasters are kept on increasing with time, so it is technologist challenge to tackle the
problem by improving or creating technology or ways that can solve the issue.

Another technologist challenge is to provide a clean water access around the world. A
clean, safe and secure water resources is an important requirement for communities to
grow. In both individual lives and the country's development, clean water makes a huge
difference. Imagine not having to worry about the health of the kids when they drink water
According to Ravi Jain (2011), insufficient water supplies with poor sanitation causes 3.4
million deaths per year, which interprets into someone dying every 10 s. Most of the death
are children due to their higher susceptibility to catching diseases. A lot of the time
individuals know that the water is poor quality, but they do not have a choice but to
consumed it as it is essential for living. A clean water will provide more productive
workforce with can improve the quality of life of people dramatically as well as countries'
productivity.

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3.0 Achievement

Nowadays, technology is kept on spreading and evolving day by day. These technologies
are made by people are competent with their specialist such as engineer, technologist etc.
One of the achievements of technology is digital reality or mostly known as virtual reality
(VR). These VR experiences have power to capture the imagination and draw viewers into
an entertaining and immersive experience. Digital reality can offer knowledge workers a
broad term that applies essentially to anyone who uses a computer to access specific
information at the exact time they need it to do their job (Cook et al, 2017). This is more
than a tool for sharing documents, it can actually present information in a visual context.

Figure 3.1: VR Technology

Other than that, another technology achievement is developed future network. By these
days, the latest advance network that has been recently created and still under research is
6G network. Nowadays, all the information’s that need to know can be search through
internet. There is no doubt that mobile and wireless computing have changed the world in
terms of how people work, learn, play or socialize. It is the truth that people cannot get
through a productive day without mobile connectivity. So, imagine working or browsing
internet with 6G network, it will bring a comfortable life without any loading button.

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4.0 Conclusion

In a nutshell, the presence of technology has made an easier life for many people around
the world. The technology keeps on improving and evolving throughout the year thus
creating an advance technology that made a life changing. There are many challenges faced
by the technologist to make the technology that we have today. The challenges that
technologist confronted are managing nitrogen cycle for environment and providing a clean
water for people around the world. The technologist needs to come with new initiative to
tackle the problem by improving the tools, materials or process by minimize or eliminate
the problem. Despite the challenges or problems that arise, there are also achievement that
technologist has been accomplished which are creation of digital reality or virtual reality
(VR) technology and inventing a better future network for communities.

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5.0 References

Betoline, G. (2011). What is a technologist? - Purdue Polytechnic Institute. Retrieved from

https://polytechnic.purdue.edu/blog/what-technologist

Cook, A., Jones, R., Raghavan, A., & Saif, I. (2017). Digital reality: The focus shifts from
technology to opportunity, 77.

Goodrich, M. (2014). How humans derailed the nitrogen cycle and are trying to put it back on
track. Retrieved from https://phys.org/news/2014-06-humans-derailed-nitrogen-track.html

Jain, R. (2011). Providing safe drinking water: a challenge for humanity. Clean Technologies
and Environmental Policy, 14(1), 1-4. doi: 10.1007/s10098-011-0446-1

Rafferty, J. (2017). nitrogen cycle | Definition & Steps. Retrieved from

https://www.britannica.com/science/nitrogen-cycle

Wood, D. (2016). What Is Technology? - Definition & Types. Retrieved from

https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-technology-definition-types.html