Introduction to Civil Engineering

What is it?

Civil engineering is one of the broadest engineering fields. It has countless sub-fields, but all of them deal with same concept of moving people and goods in efficient and safe means. This can apply to moving bricks across town or oil across the country. Civil engineers help move people between work and home, whether the distance is 5 or 5000 miles. It can be as simple as digging a well to gain access to ground water, or as complex as designing a city's waste water system. Among the many sub-fields there are three prominent types. 

• A structural engineer usually works with buildings and bridges, emphasizing the calculations of the equilibrium forces so these structures don't move more than they are meant to.

• Transportation engineers deal with planes, trains, and automobiles (and sometimes boats). Their work ranges from designing the vehicles themselves to the routes that they will have to use.

• The final category is a bit more broad. It is commonly referred to as water resources/ environmental engineering. This field looks at utilizing fresh water in running water systems, transporting and treating waste water, and protecting resources and the environment.

Why does it matter?

Have you used a toilet today? Or did you drive to work or school this morning? Civil engineering can be called one of the original forms of engineering because of the basic needs behind it. Humans and resources need to be able to get from place to place safely and efficiently. It has been an essential job since the first time humans wanted to cross rivers without swimming or roll their carts on flat ground. Beginning with simply designing cobblestone roads, civil engineering has evolved into designing not just the layout of cities, but the connections between and throughout entire nations.

In modern times civil engineers focus on the design of a project more than the actual building of it. Computer programs such as CivilPro 3D and Auto CAD make it easy to model these potentially massive projects. There are extensive books listing the specifications that these designs need to meet to ensure its structural integrity and overall safety. The field as a whole has come a long way since sticking a log across a river and calling it a bridge.

Why do we do it?

Civil engineering is commonly thought of as one of the more boring forms of engineering. There are many tedious calculations and regulations. A single project can take several years to complete, or may never be finished at all. I can't speak for every civil engineer out there, but I believe that on some level we all think this way. At the end of the day, year, or project, we get to see the final product of all of our work. I could someday go out and see the vast river that my bridge spans, or swim in the lake that my dam formed. It is one of the few professions that has the opportunity to visibly shape the physical world.