They provide clean drinking water and find ways to reuse garbage, for example.Civil engineering has five specialties:Environmental engineers remove contaminants from water, reduce non-hazardous solid waste volumes, eliminate pollutants from the air, and develop groundwater supplies.Geotechnical engineers develop projects below ground and determine ways to support structures on and in the ground.
These engineers perfect mixtures for pavements and other structures by developing methods to stabilize soil conditions.Materials engineers develop concrete and pavement systems for construction and soil stabilization methods.Structural engineers face the challenge of designing structures that can withstand gusting winds, extreme temperatures, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural forces.
They design structures for bridges, buildings, airplanes, and more.Transportation engineers determine ways to meet the increasing travel needs of people, goods, and materials on land, air, and water.Water resources engineers have the tasks of supplying water for human use, removing water when humans are finished using it, and developing methods of avoiding damage from excess water (floods).Environmental EngineersEnvironmental engineers improve water quality, turn wastes to useful products, protect the environment, and provide engineering solutions to environmental challenges.With the world’s growing population and our limited natural resources, our work is extremely important in ensuring sustainable development of our resources, providing clean water for everyone, and protecting our environment from pollution.Geotechnical and Materials EngineersGeotechnical and materials engineers investigate and plan support systems for buildings, bridges, dams, pavements, etc., and plan concrete and asphaltic mixtures for use in construction.
Because the ground supports civil engineering projects, almost all require some geotechnical engineering.Geotechnical engineers investigate rock and soil at a project site and determine the most efficient way to support the desired structure.
They also monitor the quality of material mixes used for construction, study concrete deterioration/repair methods, and design and analyze pavement systems.Geotechnical and materials engineering requires a good background in mathematics, physics, chemistry, engineering mechanics, and a strong fundamental knowledge of the behavior of materials subjected to various kinds of forces.Structural EngineersStructural engineers ensure that bridges, buildings, and dams withstand natural and man-made forces, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and the weight of cars.
They develop practical, economical, innovative, and safe solutions to these complex issues, using advanced technology like mathematical modeling and computer simulation to support their design decisions.