What do civil engineers do?
Civil engineering is the father of all engineering disciplines, in that it was the first of the engineering disciplines to be recognized and developed as a field of study. Without civil engineers, we would not have homes as we know them today, we would not be able to travel far from our homes in short periods of time, and we would not be able to clean up our drinking water or our wastewater to preserve the earth.
The field of civil engineering encompasses planning, design, construction and maintenance of structures, which often includes altering the natural geography to meet human needs. Some of the “things” civil engineers design and build include: suspension bridges, dams, tunnels, skyscrapers, the Interstate highway system, airports, ports, shopping centers, residential developments, water delivery and purification facilities, and irrigations systems.
As a civil engineer, whether you work for a private engineering firm, construction firm, government agency, or industry, there are many specialty areas in which you can focus. A few of the major specialties include:
- structural (buildings, bridges, tunnels)
- geotechnical (retaining structures, foundations)
- water and wastewater (water supply, sewage disposal)
- hydrology (river control, drainage)
- transportation (highways, airports, railroads)
- environmental (hazardous waste, air pollution, water quality)
What do computer engineers do?
Imagine working in today’s hottest profession. Computers and computer specialists continue to have a significant impact on the world, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the four fastest growing occupations during the next seven years all will be computer-related. Topping the list is Computer Engineering, which is expected to see a 108 percent increase in the number of available jobs by the year 2008.
Computers are ubiquitous. Our lives are continually touched by computers – from musical greeting cards to sophisticated weather predictions made on the most powerful supercomputers. Computers are the heart of the information revolution. They are driving changes in the automotive industry in applications as diverse as engine control, anti-lock braking systems, entertainment systems, and so much more. They control commercial airliners and smart weapons, as well as video games. They can be found in robots used to assist surgeons in operations, explore other planets, and mow your lawn. Computers help machines see and manage the flow of information on the Internet. Computers have had a profound impact on our lives and our quality of living, and will continue to do so in the future.
Computer engineering is interdisciplinary – bridging electrical engineering and computer science – bringing together hardware and software. So, what do computer engineers design?
What do electrical engineers do?
Electrical engineers have the greatest variety of devices to work with of any field of engineers. They work with nano-components, components that are so small that you need a microscope to see them, and with mega-components, components so big that they need to be housed in buildings the size of a football field.
And the applications for these devices are just as wide. Some Electrical Engineers use nano-components to design and build computers, cell phones, and networking equipment to interconnect a host of devices. The network might be a local network in your home or a business, or it might be the largest network of all, the World Wide Web. Other EEs use these same nano-components in conjunction with somewhat larger micro- and mini-components to design and build a large variety of useful instruments. They have designed instruments to help medical doctors diagnose and/or cure diseases. They have also designed instruments to help an auto mechanic to diagnose problems with a vehicle. Other electrical engineers use some of these same devices to design and build video cameras and receivers for a geodetic positioning system or GPS. Still others will use them to design and build the satellite transmitters for the GPS.
Electrical engineers use mega-components in a variety of applications as well. Some of the largest components are used to insure the thousands of gigawatt-hours of electricity that are used in the world each day are delivered to the right place. Others use smaller versions of these mega-components to design and build devices that increase the efficiency of energy used in large and small manufacturing plants. In fact, almost anything that uses electricity, whether it is from the smallest battery, a wall plug, or an ultra-high voltage transmission line, relies to some extent on the work of an Electrical Engineer.
What do mechanical engineers do?
Imagine a world without mechanical engineers. A typical day wouldn't be so typical … no cars, buses, trains or planes … no satellites to transmit news, entertainment or telephone conversations around the world. Mechanical engineers are men and women who design, develop and manufacture machines that produce, transmit or use power. Wherever machines are produced or used, there are mechanical engineers. They play a pivotal role in nearly everything that makes life typical. From the seemingly simple objects like doorknobs and zip-lock freezer bags to complex robots and spacecrafts, there is hardly an area of everyday life that hasn't been influenced by a mechanical engineer somewhere along the path from invention to installation.
Mechanical Engineers design, manufacture and test mechanisms such as:
- appliances
- clocks
- robots
- airplanes
- weapons
- space stations
- heating and air conditioning
- pumps and turbines
- electric power generators
- automobiles and engines
- hearing aids
- artificial knees
- air pollution control devices
- energy-conserving devices
- roller coasters
Mechanical engineers develop:
- new materials
- new ways to manufacture things
- more efficient energy conversions
- ways to make life better, easier, more healthy and more fun
Mechanical engineers’ achievements have unquestionably made enormous contributions to our society. Things like landing on the moon, the modern automobile, worldwide standardization of mechanical parts like bolts and spark plugs are significant achievements.
The top ten achievements in mechanical engineering, according to a poll of ME’s:
- Automobile
- Airplane
- Space travel
- Power generation
- Agricultural mechanization
- Integrated circuits
- Air conditioning/refrigeration
- CAD/CAM
- Bioengineering
- Codes & standards
