Computer Science Seminar: David Wong (Humanscale and Fashion Institute of Technology)

Speaker: David Wong (Humanscale and Fashion Institute of Technology)
Title: An Engineers' Job is to Solve Problems, So Who Defines the Problem?

The seminar will be available for in-person and Zoom participation. If you would like to receive the Zoom link, please register using the “Register” button above.

Engineers tend to be great rule followers. Things tend to be black and white when solving a problem. You have either solved the problem or have not. But who defines what that problem is? Is it marketing, design, your boss? Engineers also tend to avoid failure which is important if you are building a bridge or in my case making toys where safety was paramount, but that often means leveraging tried and true methods. That isn't wrong, but my design counterparts would say that hinders creativity and innovation. As an engineer how do you navigate that line, avoiding failure, making it work, hitting your cost and schedules and driving innovation. I worked at Fisher Price for over a decade, taking on roles of increasing responsibility, before truly figuring who defines the problem and only through spectacular failure. This is my story and the lessons learned which ultimately help me grow further as an engineer and a leader.

David Wong studied electrical engineering at Binghamton University. He has almost 3 decades of engineering experience. Currently he works for Humanscale as the Vice President of Product Development where he leads a team of designers and engineers in creating the next generation of ergonomic office tools. Prior to that he spent almost 20 years working for Fisher Price/Mattel in a variety of roles of increasing responsibility, including Vice President of Product Development and Head of Global Incubation. David also teaches at SUNY FIT as an adjunct lecturer in their toy design program