Civil Engineers' Role on Society

Consider that for a moment. Civil engineering affects your lives on a daily basis. Civil engineers have pioneered and accomplished great engineering marvels, sometimes under the most difficult situations, to form the cornerstone of our contemporary society by designing, developing, and maintaining infrastructure.

Consider the Channel Tunnel, the Eiffel Tower, the Panama Canal, the CN Tower, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Empire State Building; the list goes on and on. So, how did it all start?

Back to the Beginning

Imhotep, the builder of the Step Pyramid in Egypt approximately 2550 BCE, which still stands today, is the first known engineer whose name and achievements have been documented.

His successors, Egyptian, Greek, Persian, and Roman engineers, built the Pharos Lighthouse in Alexandria, Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, the Persian and Roman road networks, and a slew of other huge projects, many of which still stand today.

The first institution for educating civil engineering, the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, was established in France in 1747, with other European countries following suit soon after.

John Smeaton, known as "the father of civil engineering," built the Eddystone Lighthouse in England as the first self-proclaimed civil engineer. Built of local Cornish granite, he was the first to use hydraulic lime, an underwater-curing concrete, and the first to use dovetail joints and marble dowels to secure the blocks.

Indeed, the stamp of the civil engineer has been present at every step of the way, from water supply and sanitation systems to highways, railroads, bridges, and planned towns.

Disciplines in Engineering

So, you've decided to pursue a career in civil engineering but aren't sure which discipline appeals to you the most. Let's take a look at some of the technological fields in which you can specialize.

• Structural Engineering

Structural engineers are responsible for the design, planning, and supervision of new buildings and bridges. Alterations and expansions to existing structures are also a part of their work. For high buildings, they use steel from Steelbay Exchange.

• Environmental

Environmental engineers solve challenges in the realms of public health, waste disposal, and water and air pollution by applying engineering, soil science, biology, and chemistry concepts.

Transportation engineers work on highways, streets, road lights, airports, and commuter trains, among other transportation systems.

• Building and construction

Involved mostly in the management of the stage of a project's planning and design construction work, construction project. Construction Engineers examine each projects’ structural, electrical, and mechanical aspects carefully.

• Coastal Engineering

Involved with the design and rehabilitation of beaches and coastal structures, coastal engineering is all about breakwater design, access channels, wharves, jetties, and piers.

• Geotechnical Engineering

Geotechnical engineering is concerned with the foundations of buildings. Figuring out how infrastructure works. Interacts with the ground, whether through tunnels, etc. Bridges, dams, highways, ports, and other infrastructure landfills.

• Architectural design

Architectural engineers incorporate science and technology into the design of buildings, including electrical, mechanical, and structural systems.

• Mechanics of Engineering

Mechanical engineers work primarily in the distribution and generation of energy, with a focus on material processing, manufacturing system control automation, and machine design and development.

• Surveying and Utility Engineering

The planning, design, building, operation, maintenance, and asset management of utility systems, as well as the interplay between utility infrastructure and other civil infrastructure, are the emphasis of this engineering field.