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Creative Engineering Design: The Meaning of Creativity and Innovation in Engineering

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Creativity and Innovation Among Science and Art

Abstract

The importance of creativity as a vehicle for innovation in engineering design is discussed in this chapter. A creative act needs acceptance of an idea, product, or process by the field, such as engineering and the domain such as science or Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Today’s engineers must be creative and innovative. The problems engineers facing today demand original thinking . To remain competitive globally, engineering firms rely on creative individuals and creative teams to develop new products for innovation. The Creative Engineering Design Assessment (CEDA) offers a new method for assessing creative engineering design. Unlike previous measures, the revised CEDA also measures Originality and Usefulness , which, to date, is a unique component when compared to other general creativity and engineering creativity measures. Creative design and its measurement may act as a catalyst to increase enrollment in STEM. Through prioritizing creativity and innovation, as we did with prioritizing scientific creativity in the 1950s, we can enhance global prosperity, not only for the United States of America (USA) but also for other countries around the world.

The word “engineer” comes from the Latin “Ingeniatorum” meaning “ingenious” with “gen” Referring to Creation, the act of Creation or “Genesis” The essence of the words “creativity” “create” and “engineer” Stem from the act of creation.

Creativity is no longer an optional accessory. Instead, creativity is a necessity for innovation and prosperity, especially now during our current global and economic times. Creativity and innovation are vital in the United States of America, the Americas, Europe, Asia and the entire world, especially now in our current era.

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Acknowledgments

I would like to thank all of the following in a “we” format since so many people helped make this work possible. We are appreciative to all of the people that have helped out with this research. Thank you to William Clifton, Samantha DeDios, Stephanie Bennett, Thornton Lothrop, Mark Miller, Jean Wheasler, Laurin Turowski, Ankit Tayal, TJ Starr, Berae McClary, and Jong-Hun Sun. We would also like to thank Jong-Hun Sun, Mike Interiano, Myroslava Mudrak, Kelly Tung-Steudler, Saebyul Lee, Magda Kolcio, and Martin Mueller for translations of the CEDA into other languages. We would also like to thank Richard Jagacinski, John A. Merrill, the Snelbecker Family in memory of Glenn E. Snelbecker, and Yosef Alam for their feedback on earlier versions and revised versions of the CEDA. We also thank Mohammed Rahman for statistical consultation as well as Shane Ruland, Larry Campbell, Paul Jones, and Marc Archuleta for their technical assistance and expertise regarding this project. Additional gratitude goes to Blaine Lilly and Glenn Elliott for their initial feedback and technological support, respectively, in the development of the first version of the CEDA.

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  1. Department of Neurology, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Christine Charyton

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    Christine Charyton

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Charyton, C. (2015). Creative Engineering Design: The Meaning of Creativity and Innovation in Engineering. In: Charyton, C. (eds) Creativity and Innovation Among Science and Art. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-6624-5_7

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