Civil engineering is seen everywhere around us. From water in ditches to the bridges and buildings you drive by, civil engineers work daily to improve and innovate new ideas for public use. There are so many disciplines such as environmental, transportation, and structural, to name a few, which means that everyone is directly affected by this vital field of study each day. Ultimately civil engineering helps the public progress into a future of greater efficiency and safety.
This photograph taken at the corner of 2nd Ave N and Broadway in Fargo, North Dakota shows aspects of all the civil engineering disciplines, which are transportation, environmental, structural, water resources, and geo-technical.
The
broad subject of transportation engineering includes everything from
constructing better roads to the timing of traffic light signals. Engineers
consider the amount and type of traffic an area will get when designing
projects. Some questions they consider are: will semi-trucks use the road, or is
this area going to
experience a busy rush hour? For a more specific example of how transportation
is included in aspects of city planning follow this link: http://www.cityofnapa.org.
Types of Civil Engineering
Environmental engineering’s goal is to provide a healthy environment, which incudes clean air, land, and water. When transportation engineers consider putting a road in a location, environmental engineers make sure that the habitat, including wild and plant life, won’t be too disturbed to ensured. Environmental engineers also focus on removing contaminants, such as pollutants in soil, so that our food and water is safer and healthier to consume. Overall environmental engineers focus on how to best preserve the natural beauty of a location to protect it and its products for future generations. If you are interested in learning about more aspects of environmental engineering follow this link: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm.
Environmental engineering’s goal is to provide a healthy environment, which incudes clean air, land, and water. When transportation engineers consider putting a road in a location, environmental engineers make sure that the habitat, including wild and plant life, won’t be too disturbed to ensured. Environmental engineers also focus on removing contaminants, such as pollutants in soil, so that our food and water is safer and healthier to consume. Overall environmental engineers focus on how to best preserve the natural beauty of a location to protect it and its products for future generations. If you are interested in learning about more aspects of environmental engineering follow this link: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm.
Water
resources focuses on water, including how it’s transported and controlled effectively. An
example that could be found in the picture above is a fire hydrant at the
corners of blocks. This water must travel first from a source, follow a series
of pipes underground, and emit from the nozel with just the right amount of
pressure. For more information concerning water resources engineering use the
following link: http://whatiscivilengineering.csce.ca/water_resources.htm
Also
shown above in the photo are multiple buildings, which is a large focus of
civil engineering called structural engineering. We all enter buildings
multiple times a day, which makes this discipline so crucial to public welfare.
Whether it’s for work, sleeping, exercising, or shopping, buildings provide
stability, reliability, and safety due to the careful calculations and designs
of structural engineers. For more information follow this link: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/structural_engineer_job_description.htm
The
final area of civil engineering is geo-technial engineering. This area deals
with ensuring a stable base for buildings and bridges, but it can also include
ensuring safe construction sites for workers. Basically without geo-technical
engineering, structural engineering efforts would fail, since the soil type and
compaction could be incorrect for the specific project. More information on geo-technical engineering can be found through following this link: http://www.ntnu.edu/bat/geotechnics.
How Civil Engineering Affects Society
Overall, every civil engineer holds multiple responsibilities to society. All civil engineers want to provide a safe environment (whether it’s building, streets, or water) to the public. At the same time they must be honest, keep people informed about projects, and always consider how a new design will affect the people that already live on the site plan.
Overall, every civil engineer holds multiple responsibilities to society. All civil engineers want to provide a safe environment (whether it’s building, streets, or water) to the public. At the same time they must be honest, keep people informed about projects, and always consider how a new design will affect the people that already live on the site plan.
It is very important for the public to understand
civil engineering, because ultimately engineers want to work well with the
people involved in the designs they have for a more efficient and safe future.
I like how you discussed in depth all the different types of civil engineering. I have always found it really interesting how the timing of the stoplights work. For all the stop lights that are found in a huge town or traffic system, one civil engineer worked on the timing for every light in every direction.
ReplyDeleteI have a cousin who majored in civil engineering it's neat to actually know what kind of things she might be doing
ReplyDelete