What is engineering?
Engineering has been called the "invisible profession" or the "stealth profession" because most people have no clue what
engineers do. This is unfortunate, because everything in society is linked to engineering.
A really broad but short definition of engineering is:
"Engineering is the application of math and science to create something of value from our natural resources."
Note that the definition above states that engineering is not science. Engineers generally don't "do" science. Science is about
discovering the natural. Engineering is creating the artificial. Theodore Von Karman, an aerospace engineer, put it nicely when
he said, "Scientists discover the world that exists; engineers create the world that never was."
1. Civil Engineering
Civil Engineering: The art and science of designing the infrastructure of a modern CIVILized society.
Civil Engineering is a composite of many specific disciplines such as:
" Structural Engineers design steel, concrete, or timber framed structures such as Tall Buildings, Bridges, Dams, Towers,
Platforms, Retaining Walls, Foundations and Stadiums.
" Waste Treatment
Wastewater Treatment Engineers are Civil or Environmental Engineers trained to design or analyze water treatment plants.
" Transportation Engineers design and analyze Highways, Railways, Airports, Urban and Suburban Road Networks, Parking
Lots, and Traffic Control Signal Systems.
" Geotechnical Engineers analyze the subterranean rock and soil to determine its suitability to support extreme loads.
Although not very glamorous, proper geotechnical engineering is essential for a safe and secure structure.
" Water Management involves the use of hydrologic and hydraulic principles to design drainage systems,
detention/retention ponds, navigational waterways, and flood control levees, dams, and lakes.
" Construction Management
Civil Engineers often work as Project Construction Managers. Construction Managers review contracts, order materials, hire
and schedule sub-contractors. The job of a construction manager is to provide quality control and insure that the
construction project is completed on time and within budget.
2. Mechanical Engineering
" Perhaps the broadest of all the engineering disciplines in its range of activities and functions
" Concerned with design, manufacture and operation of a wide range of components, devices, or systems:
microscopic parts to gigantic gears
more efficient heating, ventilation, refrigeration
laser technology
biomedical applications
automotive industry
computer-aided design, automation, robotics
predictive maintenance and reliability technologies
3. Electrical and Computer Engineering
" Electrical engineering is the application of the laws of physics governing electricity, magnestism, and light to develop
products and services for the benefit of people
" Computer Engineering is the design, construction, implementation, and maintenance of computers and computer controlled
equipment for the benefit of people.
4. Manufacturing Engineering
Manufacturing means making things. Manufacturing engineers direct and coordinate the processes for making things - from the
beginning to the end. As businesses try to make products better and at less cost, it turns to manufacturing engineers to find out
how. Manufacturing engineers work with all aspects of manufacturing from production control to materials handling to
automation. The assembly line is the domain of the manufacturing engineer. Machine vision and robotics are some of the more
advanced technologies in the manufacturing engineers toolkit.
The beginning of the manufacturing process often involves creating prototypes or models of the desired object. In the past,
these prototypes were created from wood or clay (kind of like sculpting). Today rapid prototyping is the state of the art. There
are a number of types of rapid prototyping systems currently available, but one of the coolest is called stereolithography. A
computer-controlled laser shoots through a pool of liquid plastic and forms a solid plastic part which is literally pulled out of the
liquid. Manufacturing engineers use rapid prototyping to reduce time to market for something new as well as reducing
production cost.
5. Industrial Engineering
Industrial engineering is the application of engineering methods and the principles of scientific management to the design,
improvement, and installation of integrated systems of people, materials, information equipment and energy.
6. Environmental Engineering
Environmental Engineering is the study of ways to protect the environment.
It covers all of the following areas:
" Air Pollution
" Land Management
" Radiation Protection
" Water Supply
" Solid Waste
" Hazardous Waste Management
" Toxic Materials Control
" Wastewater Management
" Public Health
Environmental Engineers work in industry to make sure pollutants are removed from various streams released to the air and
water. They also work to make sure that solid waste is properly disposed to prevent ground water contamination.
Environmental engineers develop and design equipment to create a cleaner environment.
7. Chemical Engineering
Everything around us is made of chemicals. The earth, trees, rocks, cars, houses, and even you are all bunches of different
chemicals. When chemicals get together, they sometimes react to form new chemicals, like when food reacts with the
chemicals in your stomach.
Chemical changes can be used to produce all kinds of useful products. Chemical Engineers use their knowledge of chemistry to
discover and manufacture better plastics, paints, fuels, fibers, medicines, fertilizers, semiconductors, paper, and all other kinds
of chemicals, by carrying out chemical reactions and purifications.
Chemical Engineers also play an important role in protecting the environment, inventing cleaner technologies, calculating
environmental impacts, and studying the fate of chemicals in the environment.
Many Chemical Engineers are involved in recycling materials. Recycling helps the environment, and used materials get made
into lots of neat products.
Some Chemical Engineers work in factories, while others work in laboratories. Still others work in universities, consulting firms,
engineering firms, law offices, government agencies, and many other types of jobs.
8. Ceramic and Materials Engineering
Ceramic and Materials Engineers solve problems by relying on their creative and technical skills - making useful products in
many forms from common as well as exotic materials. Every day we use a multitude of these products. Each time we talk on
the phone, use a computer, or heat food in a microwave oven, we are using products made possible by the inventions and
designs of engineers working with ceramics and other materials.
The demand for Ceramic and Materials Engineers is increasing as creative usage of high technology materials continues to
increase in versatility and importance. Ceramic and Materials Engineers are developing the technologies of the future, playing
an important role in the success of industries around the world.
9. Aerospace Engineering
Aerospace engineers design, analyze, model, simulate, and test aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, missiles, and rockets. Aerospace
technology also extends to many other applications of objects moving within gases or liquids. Examples are golf balls, high-
speed trains, hydrofoil ships, or tall buildings in the wind. Aerospace engineers are typically specialists in fields with fancy
names such as aerodynamics, propulsion, navigation, flight testing, and more.
10. Other Engineers
Agricultural and Biological Engineers
Agricultural engineers create new technology for agricultural systems and products. This includes farming equipment such as
irrigation systems, tractors, and buildings. It also includes food processing and experimenting with farming techniques. They
are involved with every aspect of our food supply.
Bioengineering and Biochemical Engineering
Bioengineers study living systems and apply that knowledge to solve various problems. They study the safety of food supplies,
keep desirable organisms alive in fermentation processes, and design biologically based sensors. Bioengineering is widely used
to destroy wastes and clean up contaminated soil and water. These engineers contribute greatly to human health and the
environment.
Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical Engineers study biology and medicine to develop technologies related to health care. They develop medical
diagnostic machines, medical instruments, artificial organs, joint replacement parts, and prosthetic devices. Rapid advances in
these areas will probably continue throughout your lifetime.
Geological and Geophysical Engineers
Geological and Geophysical Engineers draw on the science of geology to study the earth, using engineering principles to seek
and develop deposits of natural resources and design foundations for large buildings, bridges, and other structures.
Mining Engineering
Mining engineers study all phases of extracting mineral deposits from the earth. They design mines and related equipment and
supervise their construction and operation. They also work to minimize the environmental effects of mining. These engineers
supply energy and rare materials to meet the world's needs.
Nuclear Engineering
Nuclear engineers are involved in the design, construction, and operation of nuclear power plants for power generation,
propulsion of nuclear ships and submarines, and space power systems. Nuclear engineers are also involved in the handling of
nuclear fuels, the safe disposal of radioactive wastes, and in medical uses of radioactive isotopes.
Marine and Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture
These three engineering fields are closely related, and deal with the design of ocean vehicles, marine propulsion systems, and
marine structures such as harbors, docks, and offshore drilling platforms. These engineers are exploring and developing the
natural resources and transportation systems of the ocean.
Petroleum Engineers
Petroleum engineers study the earth to find oil and gas reservoirs. They design oil wells, storage tanks, and transportation
systems. They supervise the construction and operation of oil and gas fields. Petroleum engineers are researching new
technologies to allow more oil and gas to be extracted from each well. They help supply the world's need for energy and
chemical raw materials.
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