I often ask my colleagues why they chose to study engineering. A fair number reference television's Mr. Wizard or NASA's Apollo program. My Dad inspired me with an interest in science and math, and my Mom spoke of her father, who was an engineer with the then-fledgling Carrier Corporation of air conditioning fame.

As much as anything, my appetite for engineering was whetted by my boyhood chum's father. From what I recall, Mr. Ober was a graduate of MIT and, in time, moved into a senior management position with a successful avionics firm. For all I know, he may have been a founder of that firm. Little of that mattered to me when I was in elementary school, but the stories and activities he shared with us thoroughly fascinated me and sparked my interest in engineering.

For example, when my friend Peter tampered with his trumpet, he somehow got the slides jammed askew inside the body of the instrument. Although we tried to separate the parts, we were successful only when Mr. Ober stuck the trumpet in hot water for a few minutes. The outer pieces expanded more than the inner pieces and, voila, they separated easily without damage.

What I remember most were his challenge questions. My favorite was how to separate the whites from the yolk of a scrambled, cooked egg. I've shared that question with many over the years, and it has generated some creative and valuable discussions. I must admit, however, that more than one person has disagreed vehemently with Mr. Ober's answer. Still, in my mind, it is the clever and resourceful approach that Mr. Ober considered that continues to intrigue me and propel me on my path in engineering.

I'll ask you as Mr. Ober asked me. As many of us do on a regular basis , I have cooked scrambled eggs in the kitchen for breakfast. There is nothing special in the manner of the preparation. So how do I separate the yolk from the egg whites?