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I like inventing mechanical things, what kind of Scientist can I be?
Question Date: 2014-07-25
Answer 1:

Thank you for your question “I like inventing mechanical things, what kind of Scientist can I be?”

First off, I am thrilled to hear that you are interested in a career in science! Working and researching as a scientist is an endlessly interesting and fascinating job, and it is great that you are interested in science at such a formative age.

Since you are interested in inventing and mechanical tinkering, my first suggestions for you would be careers in mechanical engineering or in physics. Mechanical engineers use a mixture of physics, materials science, and engineering to design, manufacture, and maintain mechanical systems. Mechanical engineers can design and build a whole range of mechanical objects, such as engines, cars, airplanes, robots, home devices, or entire manufacturing production facilities. Physicists also do a whole lot of inventing and tinkering. In a physics education, you will learn about the laws of motion, and how forces interact with objects, both large and small. This education lends itself very well to designing and building new objects, since inventors needs to understand how many different pieces of a machine move and interact with each other.

However, do not limit yourself to just these disciplines, because scientists in every field are constantly inventing new devices and machines! For example, I personally am a chemical engineer, but the research that I do combines disciplines from chemistry, biology, and physics. In one of my projects, I am designing and building a tiny micro-mechanical device that is capable of measuring forces between objects that are very tiny. Additionally, scientists in chemistry constantly build new machines to test the chemicals in certain objects, or build reactors to produce new compounds.

So keep your options open! All disciplines of science need smart and energetic young inventors to build machines and devices of the future. Hope this answers your question!

Regards,

Answer 2:

Lots of different types of scientists invent mechanical things. One of the more standout choices though would be a Mechanical Engineer. Mechanical Engineers usually develop, build, and test different devices such as tools, engines and other machines. These types of systems can be used for aircrafts, cars, construction, electronics, trains, boats, or other utilities like in power plants. If you are interested in electronics, Computer and Electrical Engineering would also be another great area where more of a focus is placed on the electrical and programming components of the devices you may be interested in inventing.


Answer 3:

If you like inventing mechanical things, you might think about becoming a mechanical engineer or an electrical engineer. Although there are many things you can do, in these fields it is possible to be responsible for creating aerial drones, robotics, heavy machinery, or other devices.


Answer 4:

You want to be a mechanical engineer. In high school, you should try to make sure you take as much physics as you can, and then you should major in either physics or mechanical engineering in college. What happens then I am less familiar with, and partially depends on you (e.g. do you want to work for a company, design stuff in an academic lab, try to build your own company, etc.)



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