The Grainger College of Engineering

Hammack's new book offers hints for communicating about engineering

11/10/2010

Known as Professor Hammack on the faculty roster in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and as the "Engineering Guy" to the rest of the world, Bill Hammack has used a variety of media to explain the wonders of science and engineering to the general public. His new book, Why Engineers Need to Grow a Long Tail: A primer on using new media to inform the public and to create the next generation of innovative engineers, distills what he has learned.

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Known as Professor Hammack on the faculty roster in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and as the "Engineering Guy" to the rest of the world, Bill Hammack has used a variety of media to explain the wonders of science and engineering to the general public. His new book, Why Engineers Need to Grow a Long Tail: A primer on using new media to inform the public and to create the next generation of innovative engineers, distills what he has learned.

Bill Hammack
Bill Hammack

"This very short book began as a series of lectures given over a ten-year period," Hammack explained in the book's preface. "It boils down my own observations and practice as a person who truly works in the trenches of public outreach to help explain what an engineer is, what he or she does, and why their work is important."

In his videos and in over 300 radio pieces, Hammack has explored the technological world. He's revealed the secrets of his high-tech underwear, explored the mysteries of mood rings, probed the perils of nanotechnology, and examined the threats to privacy from technology. His work reflects a humanistic approach, emphasizing the human dimension to technology - from the trial, tribulations, and triumphs of inventors and scientists to the effect of technology on our daily lives.

Although it is only 62 pages long, the book is intended as a quick start guide to new media for practicing engineers and academics, the book guides the reader through the hows and whys of new media.

"My hope is that practicing engineers, who are often busy, will use it as a quick start guide," Hammack remarked. "Often the details of new media get lost in an alphabet soup that usually begins with an "i" - the iPod, the iPad, the iTouch. Yet the essence of new media is not in these devices, but in their use.

"This short primer shows engineers how to think about new media by focusing on the deeper issues of communicating in this new user-generated era. Readers will grasp the mindset of new media; an understanding that will long outlast the latest social networking tools. It will empower practicing engineers to develop new, powerful ways to help the public to understand what engineers do and why engineering is important; but perhaps most importantly it gives engineers the foundation for reaching the next generation of innovative engineers."

A member of the Illinois faculty for more than 20 years, Hammack spent 2005-06 as a U.S. Diplomat working as a Senior Science Adviser at the Department of State. He's received the top awards in science journalism including the National Association of Science Writers Science in Society Award, the American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award, and the American Chemical Society's Grady-Stack Medal.

You can read pdf of the book for free or buy a paperback edition from Amazon.

To watch selected videos, listen to his radio programs, or read his other writings on communicating to the public, visit www.engineerguy.com. A new series of "Engineer Guy" videos has also been posted on the University's YouTube page.
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Contact: Bill Hammack, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, 217/244-4146.

If you have any questions about the College of Engineering, or other story ideas, contact Rick Kubetz, writer/editor, Engineering Communications Office, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; 217/244-7716.

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This story was published November 10, 2010.