Engineering Disciplines
Acoustical Engineering
Overture Hall in Madison, WI
• Deals with properties of
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http://www.overturecenter.com/overture_hall.htm
sound in a space
Drawn upon to plan,
improve, or perfect an
architectural space
Investigate how different
noises and background
sounds affect productivity
Deal with two basic
properties of sound:
reflection and absorption
Help design Halls to
Speaker Casings
Automotive Engineering
• Plan, coordinate, and
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implement specifications
for new vehicles,
engineering every part
Make mechanical aspects
of vehicle fit into the
automotive designer’s
plan
Usually trained with
Bachelor degree in
Mechanical Engineering
Ford’s 2003 Hybrid Escape Prototype
http://www.velocityjrnl.com/jrnl/2003/vmd9419ov.html
Challenges for Auto Engineers
• Emissions Laws
 Develop engines that burn fuel cleaner
• Cost
 Making product financially viable and appealing
• Shared Platforms
 Cars of different brands, same parent company
• Performance
 More powerful engines without skyrocketing price
• Consumer Demands
 Must design what consumers want
Aerospace Engineering
NASA Space Shuttle Atlantis
• Design, develop, test, and
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help manufacture aircraft,
missiles, and spacecraft
Can be divided into two
fields
 Aeronautical
 Astronautical
• Develop new
technologies for use in
commercial and military
http://www.nasa.gov
Aeronautical Engineers
• Develop technology
•
for use in aviation,
defense systems, and
attack projectile
weaponry
Structural design,
guidance, navigation
and control systems
just a few
specializations
F-117 Nighthawk and KC-135 Stratotanker
http://xray.sai.msu.ru/~polar/html/what.html
Astronautical Engineering
• Develop technology
•
NASA Rover Project
for use in space
exploration
Develop planes that
can operate in space
and on earth as well
as booster rockets
www.acroname.com/ mars.html
Agricultural Engineering
• Traces roots back
Combine at Harvest Time
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•
http://www.awgfarms.com/
thousands of years
Production and
processing of agricultural
products is primary
concern
Power machinery, food
processing, soils and
water, structures,
electrical technologies,
and bioengineering are
specializations
Bioengineering
• Application of engineering principles to biological
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systems
Encompass biology, chemistry, physics,
technology science, and medicine to solve health
care problems
Work with geneticists in producing genetically
manipulated products
 Bacteria for curing illness
 Disease-resistant plants
Biomedical Engineering
• Design and development
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AbioCor Artificial Heart
of devices to solve
medical challenges
Devices for more mobility
Chemical processes
necessary for artificial
organs to function
Electrical challenges in
pacemaker designs
Develop non-surgical
instruments as well
http://www.tmc.edu/thi/summary.html
Chemical Engineering
• Take what chemists do in a lab and apply
fundamental engineering, chemistry and physics
principles, design and develop processes to
produce products
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Detergents
Paints
Fertilizers
Petroleum Products
Food Products
Electronic Circuit Boards
Civil Engineering
Tsing Ma Bridge in Hong Kong
• Designing and
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www.surrey.ac.uk/ eng/pg/civil/progcivi.htm
supervising construction
of roads, buildings,
airports, tunnels, bridges
and water/sewage
systems
Must keep environment in
well-being
Population shifts, urban
planning, zoning laws,
and building codes must
be followed
Architectural Engineering
Taipei 101
Taipei, Taiwan
• Concerned with form,
•
http://www.brianmicklethwait.com/culture/cat_architecture.shtml
function, and
appearance of a
structure
Combines structural
and functional
concerns with
aesthetic concerns of
architect
Transportation Engineers
Bangkok Mass Transit System
• Concerned with
•
http://www.railway-technology.com/contractors/metro/siemens_metro/
design and
construction of
highways, railroads
and mass transit
systems
Optimization and
operation of systems
Water Resource Engineers
• Provide safe and
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reliable supplies of
water for communities
Design and operate
purification systems
and testing
www.ce.utexas.edu/ dept/area/ewre/welcome.html
Surveyors
• Locate property lines
• Establish alignment
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and proper placement
of engineering
projects
Use satellite and
aerial terrestrial
photography data
www.temple.edu/history/ amhist2images.html
Urban Planning Engineers
• Incorporate
components of a city
to meet the
population’s needs
 Adequate housing
 Efficient transportation
 Open spaces
http://www.dalian-gov.net/chinese/2000qiye/zhu/en/ghshj-e.htm
Computer Engineering
• Apply theories of science
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http://www.brightonnet.co.jp/products/product03.html
and math to design
hardware, software,
networks, processors and
chips
Improve computer
performance with
optimization
Design means of data
communication and ways
to protect that information
Construction Engineers
• Management and
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Photo Courtesy of Structural Steel Erectors
-Milwaukee, WI
operation of construction
projects
Interested in improving
construction methods and
materials
Safer, more reliable, cost
effective, and
environmentally friendly
methods designed and
developed
Electrical Engineering
• Responsible for the
design, development,
testing, and supervision of
the manufacture of
electrical equipment
 Household appliances to
guidance systems
• Most populated of
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engineering disciplines
Eight Areas of Electrical
Engineering detailed
ahead
http://www.iit.edu/alumni/updates/yearbook/1920s/
Areas 1 - 4
• Computers
• Communication
 Global Positioning Systems, Fiber Optics and Lasers,
and Wireless Technology
• Circuits and Solid State Devices
 Microelectronics
• Control
 Digital controllers allow for safer and more efficient
operation of power plants, airplanes, etc.
Areas 5 - 8
• Instrumentation
 Devices to measure pressure, temperature, flow rate,
speed, using telemetry
• Signal Processing
 Electrical signals from instruments need to be
conditioned before information is used
• Bioengineering
• Power
 Most traditional aspects of Electrical Engineering
• Production of electrical power
Environmental Engineering
• Application of science in the pursuit of
making the world a safer place for humans
and animals
• Evolved to to improve and protect the
environment while keeping pace with the
growth of industry
• Includes air pollution, industrial hygiene,
radiation protection, etc
Environment Challenges
• Disposal
 Disposal and processing of industrial and
residential waste
• Remediation
 Cleaning up of contaminated sites
• Prevention
 Reduce or eliminate harmful waste
 Work with manufacturing engineers
Fire Protection Engineers
• Design fire sprinkler,
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•
http://www2.hickam.af.mil/pacaf/newsarchive/2002/2
002116a.htm
alarm systems, exit and
control systems
Compile risk analyses on
major facilities and
consult with architects on
projects
Investigates fires and
explosions, helping local
fire departments solve the
cause of a fire
Food Processing Engineers
• Providing healthier products to consumers
who increasingly rely on processed food
products
• Design processing, handling, and
packaging equipment for the food industry
Genetic Engineering
• Specific application of
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http://edugreen.teri.res.in/explore/bio/engg.htm
genetic manipulation
techniques to engineering
projects
Sometimes called
biotechnologists
Human, plant, animal,
and microorganism can
all be associated under
Genetic Engineering
Geological Engineering
• Involves land and
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http://www.mtu.edu/environmental/geo/
water
Investigate sites for
dams, bridges, and
tunnels
Build and maintain
earth-related power
sources as well as
work on oil drilling
sites
Industrial Engineering
• Interdisciplinary field that involves
integration of technology, mathematical
models, and management practices
• Work within many industries
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Production
Manufacturing
Human Factors
Operations Research
Manufacturing Engineering
• Everything done is tied to
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http://www.battelle.org/healthcare/html/ManufacturingEngineering.stm
production of goods
Design a process or a
system to solve a problem
Must know how to use a
variety of resources
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Machines
Robots
People
Computer-Based Controls
Information Networks
Marine and Ocean
Engineering
http://www.battelle.org/healthcare/html/ManufacturingEngineering.stm
• Concerned with the exploration of oceans, transportation
of products over water, and utilization of resources in
world’s oceans, seas and lakes
Marine Engineering
• Focus on design, development, and
operation of ships and boats
 Subsystems so ship may serve its purpose
• Propulsion
• Navigation
• Steering
• Work along with naval architects
Ocean Engineers
• Involved with interaction of oceans and areas
they come into contact with
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Wave action on beaches
Docks
Buoys
Moorings
Harbors
• Design ways to reduce erosion while protecting
the marine environment
Materials Science Engineers
• Develop new materials,
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improve traditional, and
produce materials reliably
and economically through
synthesis and processing
Concerned with four
areas of materials
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Structure
Properties
Processes
Performance
Carbon Fiber Composite SMV
Madison West H.S., Madison, WI
http://www.imagine101.com/red_ra.htm
Mechanical Engineering
• Involved with design, development,
production, control, operation, and service
of machines and mechanical devices
• Strength of parts and stresses to which
they will be subjected too
• Composed of two main divisions:
 Design and Controls
 Thermal Sciences
Mineral and Mining
Engineering
• Maintain the flow of raw materials by
discovering, extracting and processing
minerals for products
• Design and maintain tunnels used in
extracting minerals
• Processing procedures to make raw
materials into usable forms
Nuclear Engineering
• Use and control of energy
from nuclear sources for
electricity production,
propulsion systems,
waste disposal and
radiation applications
• Develop safe and reliable
means to dispose of
nuclear wastes
Petroleum Engineering
• Work with geologists and geophysicists in
exploration, removal, transportation and
refining of crude oil
• Designs, develops and operates drilling
equipment and facilities needed to
transport and refine the oil safely
Robotics and Automated
Systems Engineers
Honda ASIMO Robot
• Programs robots to do
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•
http://www.21stcentury.co.uk/robotics/honda_asimo_robot.asp
different tasks and
explorations
Meets with team
members to discuss and
share ideas
More efficient and skilled
robots are needed to
assemble more complex
products
Artificial Intelligence
slowly becoming reality
Software Engineering
• Do the coding for programs on computers
• Computer Applications Software Engineers
 Program utilities and programs for internal use in an
office
• Computer Systems Software Engineer
 Coordinates technical systems and growth within a
company
• Function in many different business areas as
technical supports, program developers, or
customer service installing software
Structural Engineering
Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse
• Most common type of civil
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•
http://www.nwwf.com/profile/piegig01.htm
engineer
Concerned with integrity
of the structure of
buildings, bridges, dams
and highways
Evaluate loads which
structures will be
subjected to in their
environment