What Is Civil Engineering?
Civil engineering has existed since the Stone Age period only that it wasn’t defined as so back in the days. Officially, it’s defined as the science of public works, which encompasses the building of bridges, dams, roads and any other public-benefit project that fits into the category of infrastructure.
Advent of Civil Engineering
Throughout history, mankind has always devised methods to improve and better their standards of living. Thus the earliest forms of public works were centered on building walls for protecting a village or community, dams to harness water, roads and bridges to improve transport and irrigation ditches to expand farming. As small villages morphed into large towns, more needs arose like the proper disposal of waste matter, additional pathways and roads through streets for better trade and ways to purify water to supply the growing masses. This saw the science of public works grow more complex in nature.
Types of Civil Engineers
The rising needs saw the field of civil engineering advance to different departments of specialization. They are:
• Structural engineering
• Geotechnical engineering
• Transportation engineering
• Construction engineering
• Environmental engineering
• Water resource engineering
Structural engineering focuses on designing and analyzing bridges and buildings. These structures are tested on how well they can stand to environmental factors (earthquake, Tsunami, gales etc) and what construction materials can be used to achieve these properties. This is why most structural engineers work as part-time consultants on the best products to use for building.
Geotechnical engineers employ their scientific knowledge to come up with solutions to solve geological problems. This entails building strong foundations for buildings, tunnels for a mining site and embankments to protect an area. They are the experts to consult on soil structure for different building sites.
Thirdly, construction engineers are the handymen who carry out the projects drawn and presented to them. The construction engineer will take all raw materials into account and supervise the entire erection of a building or bridge. In other words, they are the site managers and overseers of all construction projects.
Environmental engineers are the chief analysts of the eco-system and determine methods to improve mans habitat. They are the people to go to when looking for advice on solid waste disposal, enhancing the quality of air or the best methods to treat and protect water sources. They combine the disciplines of mathematics, atmospheric science and hydrology to achieve their solutions.
Water resource engineers are generally environmental engineers who choose to focus more on the quality and quantity of water as a vital resource. They combine fluid dynamics, environmental science, and meteorology to come up with policies for water supply, remediation of ground water, analyzing floods and storms or wastewater treatment. Water resource engineers are the people to call when fortifying a town or city against water disasters like Tsunamis or hurricanes. They also help farmers by providing the best tips for soil erosion control.
Try Civil engineering, it has been in existence through centuries. It focuses on providing solutions to infrastructural challenges using existing technology, and has seen simple tree-trunk bridges transform into steel and concrete structures that can withstand a Tsunami outbreak. Today we have six major categories of civil engineers, all who deal with a specific part of the science to provide solutions to man’s infrastructural needs.