By ACC Professor Shana Shaw

What do engineers do?

Simply put, engineers apply technology in useful ways.

What kinds of engineers are there?

Aerospace Engineers

• • • Emphasize aerodynamics, fluid mechanics, structures, heat transfer, hydraulics, control systems
    • Design airplanes, rockets, space vehicles, bullet trains, automobiles
    • American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics (AIAA)

Agricultural Engineers

• • • Emphasize hydrology, soil mechanics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, combustion, climatology, chemistry, biology
    • Produce food on a large scale within the earth’s ecosystem
    • American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE)

Biomedical Engineers

• • • Apply modern engineering methods to medicine and human health
    • Design medical instrumentation, prostheses, implants, assistive appliances
    • Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES)

Chemical Engineers

• • • Emphasize chemistry, fluid transfer
    • Design manufacturing and production systems involving chemical reactions on a production scale
    • American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)

Civil Engineers

• • • Emphasize structures, strength of materials, construction, soil mechanics
    • Design infrastructure such as transportation systems, water treatment plants, aquifers
    • American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

Computer Engineers

• • • Combines engineering and computer science
    • Design hardware, software, digital communication such as processors, personal computers, networks, operating systems, Internet servers
    • Association for Computing Machinery(ACM)

Electrical Engineers

• • • Emphasize all forms and uses of electricity
    • Design information theory, control theory, electronics, television systems, electric power systems, speech processing systems, semiconductors, fiber optics
    • Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)

Environmental Engineers

• • • Rely on biology and chemistry to solve environmental issues
    • Design systems in pollution control, recycling, waste disposal, ozone depletion
    • American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES)

Industrial Engineers

• • • Concerned with the total lifecycle of a product
    • Design robotics, manufacturing systems, fabrication methods, machinery
    • Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE)

Materials Engineers

• • • Use all forms of physical matter on a macroscopic and microscopic scale
    • Design composites, fuel cells, metal alloys, ceramics, polymers, biomaterials
    • American Society for Metals (ASM)

Mechanical Engineers

• • • Concerned with designing and building physical structures involving mechanical motion using structures, heat transfer, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, controls, materials, energy conversion
    • Design automobiles, turbines, pumps, furniture, engines, computer cases, appliances, toys
    • American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)

Mechatronics Engineers

• • • Emphasize mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and robotics
    • Design and build automation systems, robotic products, manufacturing systems
    • American Institute of Mechatronics Engineers (AIME)

Naval Engineers

• • • Emphasize materials, structures, water propulsion, dynamics, fluid mechanics
    • Design ships, submarines, yachts, shipping docks, coastal navigation facilities
    • American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE)

Nuclear Engineers

• • • Emphasize atomic physics
    • Design nuclear reactors, nuclear power plants, nuclear waste facilities
    • American Nuclear Society (ANS)

Petroleum Engineers

• • • Emphasize physics, geology, chemistry, mathematics
    • Design oil and gas recovery systems
    • Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)

Systems Engineers

• • • Emphasize information systems, automation, supply-chain management, electronics, logistics
    • Design large-scale software and complex engineering systems, communication networks, transportation infrastructure
    • International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE)