College of Engineering and Architecture
What are Engineers?
Six Main Types
1. Civil Engineers
Structural: Design and build structures, skyscrapers, bridges, transmission towers, large industrial plants, equipment, space stations, aircraft, rockets, etc.
Geotechnical: Design and build earth structures, soil mechanics, foundation analysis, dams, embankments, retaining walls, landslide prevention and earthquake analysis.
Environmental: Design and build waste water treatment plants, design ways to clean up environment (air and water pollution, hazardous waste), prevention of ecological disasters.
Transportation: Design, build, and operate facilities for various modes of transportation such as highways, airports, railroads, and waterways. Design facilities for pedestrians, bicycles, and mass transit.
Water Resources: Design and build water supply systems for irrigation and cities. Solve flooding problems by building dams, levees, etc. Dams are used for hydropower, recreation, etc.
River navigation and water quality are also areas for Civil Engineers.
2. Mechanical Engineers
Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC): Design and build these systems for buildings and vehicles.
Machines: Design machines to do work in factories, turbines, internal combustion engines, etc.
Automobiles & Aircraft: Design power systems, mechanisms, and structures for these.
Robotics: Design and build robots for manufacturing plants.
Energy Systems: Study ways to be more efficient, new ways to generate energy; wind, solar, etc.
Materials: Designing and using exotic materials such as composits, "intelligent" materials, polermeric materials (plastics), etc.
3. Electrical & Computer Engineers
Computer Design: Design and build computers, memory systems, etc.
Communications: Design and build systems to allow people and machines to communicate.
Controls: Design and build robotic systems and control systems to enhance human accuracy and/or strength.
Electronics: Design and build microchips, solid state electronics, logical circuits, etc.
Electro Optics: Using lasers and light for transmitting data, guidance systems (missiles and smart bombs), medical imaging devices, infrared imaging systems, etc.
Power Systems: Design and build electrical generating plants and transmission systems.
4. Industrial & Manufacturing Engineers:
Manufacturing Processes: Design and build efficient manufacturing process, using automation, plant layout, quality control, production and inventory control, and systems engineering. Design ergonomic systems.
Move Resources: Design optimal ways to move resources (FED-EX uses them to transport their packages better).
Robotics: Design automated manufacturing, storing, etc., systems.
Project Management: Manage projects and people
Aero Manufacturing Option: Utilize manufacturing techniques, materials, etc. to design and improve the production of aircraft and space vehicles.
5. Agricultural and Biosystems Engineers
Machinery Systems: Design and develop products and systems for food, feed, and fiber production.
Natural Resources: Create solutions for environmental and resource management issues affecting soil, water, and air.
Biomaterials/Food Processing: Design and develop processes and systems for food, and non-food uses of agricultural and related biomaterials.
Biotechnical Systems: Design and develop commercial products and processes based on applications of biotechnology.
6. Construction Management and Engineers
Construction Engineers:
Design of temporary structures and systems to aid in the construction of infrastructure, municipal, industrial and environmental projects.
Often support traditional design functions of Civil Engineering primarily in structural applications (design options often include electrical and mechanical to support electrical and mechanical construction)
Requires knowledge of the functional areas of engineering design and project management applied to construction operations and construction methods.
Construction Managers:
Primarily responsible for the organization and optimization of resources required for executing construction projects.
Construction management education has three components: technical knowledge of materials and methods, construction management requirements, and business management.
Other Types of Engineers: (usually special branches of the above main types)
1. Nuclear Engineers: Design and build nuclear reactors
2. Ocean Engineers: Design and build ports, oil platforms, and protect beaches.
3. Aerospace/Aeronautical Engineers: Design and build rockets, space stations, and aircraft.
4. Petroleum Engineers: Design and operate drilling rigs for oil exploration, design and build oil refineries and transmission systems.
5. Biomedical Engineers: These design and build artificial parts of the body (hearts, joints, legs, etc.). They also design instrumentation and data acquisition systems for medical needs plus study of electrical signals occurring in humans and animals.
6. Chemical Engineers: Design and build oil refineries. Design and build chemical plants, food processing, paints, adhesives, plants to produce plastics and other materials, etc.
Engineering is the liberal education of the 21st Century. It is the best preparation for living in our time. Engineers enhance the quality of life by inventing new ways to solve problems and mastering old ways to meet needs. If you are good at math and science and enjoy making things, doing projects that entail some design, want to improve your community and country, engineering may be for you. Take all of the Math and Science you can in high school (a college prep course). Meet engineers and see if you can find a summer job with an engineering firm. There are more engineers in management than any other discipline (except business majors). Studying to be an engineer is tough, but if you can get your engineering degree, you can do anything. For example, Wall Street firms want engineers because engineers know computers and math. Businesses want engineers because they understand statistics, and quantitative analysis. An engineering degree may be used for pre-med or pre-law.
