Civil Engineering Profession (3)

Engineering is a profession, which means that an engineer must have a specialised university education. Many government jurisdictions also have licensing procedures which require engineering graduates to pass an examination, similar to the bar examinations for a lawyer, before they can actively start on their careers.

 

In the university, mathematics, physics, and chemistry are heavily emphasised throughout the engineering curriculum, but particularly in the first two or three years. Mathematics is very important in all branches of engineering, so it is greatly stressed. Today, mathematics includes courses in statistics, which deals with gathering, classifying, and using numerical data, or pieces of information. An information aspect of statistical mathematics is probability, which deals with what may happen when there are different factors or variables that can change the results of a problem. Before the construction of a bridge is undertaken, for example, a statistical study is made of the amount of traffic the bridge will be expected to handle. In the design of the bridge, variables such as water pressure on the foundations impact, the effect of different wind forces, and many other factors must be considered.

 

Because a great deal of calculation is involved in solving these problems, computer programming is now included in almost all engineering curricula. Computers, of course, can solve many problems involving calculations with great speed and accuracy than a human being can. But computers are useless unless they are given clear and accurate instructions and information - in other words, a good program.

 

In spite of the heavy emphasis on technical subjects in the engineering curriculum, a current trend is to require students to make courses in the social sciences and the language arts. We have already discussed the relationship between engineering and society; it is sufficient, therefore, to say again that the work performed by an engineer affects society in many different and important ways that he or she should be aware of. An engineer engaged in research will need to be able to write up his or her findings for scientific publications.

 

The last two years of an engineering program include subjects within the student's field of specialisation. For the student who is preparing to become a civil engineer, these specialised courses may deal with such subjects as geodetic surveying, soil mechanics, or hydraulics.

 

Active recruiting for engineers often begins before the student's last year in the university. Different corporations and government agencies have competed for the services of engineers in recent years. In the science-oriented society of today, people who have technical training are, of course, in demand. Young engineers may choose to go into environmental or sanitary engineering, for example, where environmental concerns have created many openings; or they may choose construction firms that specialize in highway work; or they may prefer to work with one of the government agencies that deals with water resources. Indeed, the choice is large and varied.

 

When the young engineer has finally started actual practice, the theoretical knowledge acquired in the university must be applied. He or she will probably be assigned at the beginning to work with a team of engineers. Thus, on-the-job training can be acquired that will demonstrate his or her ability to translate theory into practice to the supervisors.

 

The civil engineer may work in research, design, construction supervision, maintenance, or even in sales or management. Each of these areas involves different duties, different emphases, and different uses of the engineer's knowledge and experience.

 

Research is one of the most important aspects of scientific and engineering practice. A researcher usually works as a member of a team with other scientists and engineers. He or she is often employed in a laboratory that is financed by government or industry. Areas of research connected with civil engineering include soil mechanics and soil stabilization techniques, and also the development and testing of new structural materials.

 

Many civil engineers, among them the top people in the field, work in design. As we have seen, civil engineers work on many different kinds of structures, so it is normal practice for an engineer to specialize in just one kind. In designing buildings, engineers often work as consultants of architectural or construction firms. Dams, bridges, water supply systems, and other large projects ordinarily employ several engineers whose work is co-ordinated by a systems engineer who is in charge of the entire project. In many cases, engineers from other disciplines are involved. In a dam project, for example, electrical and mechanical engineers work on the design of the power house and its equipment. In other cases, civil engineers are assigned to work on a project in another field; in the space program, for instance, civil engineers were necessary in the design and construction of such structures as launching pads and rocket storage facilities.

 

 

Words to be remembered:

government jurisdictions – тут , урядові розпорядження

licensing – ліцензування

bar examinations – іспит для отримання кваліфікації адвоката

curriculum ( curricula , pl ) – навчальна програма

numerical data – числові данні

variables – змінні величини

a human being – людина

relationship – взаємовідносини

hydraulics – гідравліка

geodetic surveying – вища геодезія

on-the-job training – навчання у процесі роботи

maintenance – ремонтно-профілактичні роботи; технічне обслуговування

supervision – технічний нагляд

launching pads – стартова платформа

 

1. Read and translate into Ukrainian the following English phrases:

Government jurisdictions, university education, licensing procedures,

specialised courses, engineering curriculum, bar examinations,

on-the-job training, launching pads, supply systems, recruiting for

engineers, a human being, numerical data, before the construction of a

bridge.

 

2. Read and translate into English the following Ukrainian phrases:

Вища геодезія, під час проектування будинків, використання

числових даних, системи водопостачання, технічний нагляд,

здавати іспит, розпочинати кар’єру, механіка ґрунтів, вивчення

впливу на навколишнє середовище.

 

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