SAMPE Journal - May/June 2016 - 34

Perspectives

Steven Rodgers

SAMPE Past President and
Consultant, EmergenTek LLC
Steven.R@EmergenTek.com

Accelerating Technology: Full STEAM Ahead
"It's an odd boy who doesn't like sport." - Lyric from "Sport" by the late Vivian Stanshall

It was something of a magic moment. I had been "the odd boy" who was happier reading, watching television
or playing at "odd science" with my somewhat geeky friends than I was enjoying the rough-and-tumble world
of athletics. Now I suddenly found myself in a strange and frightening position: I was standing in the wings
in an ill-fitting costume. My nose was stimulated by the smell of freshly-applied greasepaint as I rubbed my
sweaty palms together in a fit of anxiety. I didn't want to be there. I was horrified at the thought of taking the
next step.

I was an unwilling participant in speech class. I couldn't avoid taking it if I wanted to graduate from high
school. Then my speech teacher asked if I would take a small part in a play, performing at a one-act festival. He
persisted until I said yes. The trap was sprung. He had secured his prey. I was intensely awkward at the first
rehearsal but slowly adapted. The actress with whom I performed was supposed to have been thirty years
younger than me but was actually two grades ahead of me. She helped me to gain my feet and made rehearsals
palatable and even enjoyable.

But now the moment I had dreaded had arrived. A cue line had been spoken. The lights dimmed. In the darkness
I resolutely stepped onto the stage to take my place. The lights came up and we spoke. The rest is a blur in my
mind but forever branded in my memory was this: As the lights went down at the end of the scene there was
applause. Seven hundred pairs of hands thundered their affirmation to me. I was hooked. For the next six years
I would devote every waking moment to developing my creative side. I acted, wrote, directed, helped with sets,
designed makeup and assisted with special effects.

Then as quickly as it had appeared, that world retreated into the background as I began to work for a living. But
as I progressed from the world of artists into the ranks of engineering, I took two things with me from my days
in theatre: The importance of mentoring and a profound appreciation for the value of creativity.

In my early days as an engineer I heard my colleagues say things like, "Why did I have to study literature
in college? I am an engineer. That didn't help me." Yet, when I would read their reports and memos, their
communications were unclear. "Their", "there" and "they're" were often used interchangeably even though
the first is a possessive word, the second is an indication of location and the third is a contraction that means
"they are". If indeed the goal of communications is to communicate, choosing the right word matters and lends
clarity to a thought.
However, as I progressed in my career I began to realize that the real value of studying and participating in the
arts is the way in which they stimulate an individual's creativity. That is the real "value proposition."

A good engineer has studied the craft of engineering, which might include the in-depth study of physics,
mechanics, mathematics or materials. A great engineer builds on that foundation by cultivating creativity. It is
creativity that allows an engineer to exceed mere functionality and develop a "simply elegant" solution.

In my days as an engineering manager I began to see creativity as so important that I would consciously look
for it when interviewing. I wanted somebody to be passionate about something outside engineering that would
stimulate a creative mindset. Music, cooking and origami all became indicators of the special spark I wanted
on my team. One of my more creative engineers even devised a playfully off-the-wall question that became
a standard part of job interviews: "If you were a super hero, which super hero would you be and why?" The
responses we gathered provided fascinating insight into the thought processes of the interviewee.
34

SAMPE Journal, Volume 52, No. 3, May/June 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SAMPE Journal - May/June 2016