Got Science?

Did anyone really think I'd stop blogging?  Not that anyone checks, judging by the stats...

Anyway, I've been waiting for some good topics to blog about to come along, and I've got them now! This summer, we'll be exploring Engineering and Technology! Whoopee!

Okay, celebrations aside,  let's get to work.  First, we have to figure out an essential question: what is an engineer, exactly? There's the stereotype of a guy working being a desk on some computer program, or all those people in BP who are still trying to find a way to plug the oil leak.  But engineers aren't just plugging oil leaks and designing computer programs (which, technically speaking, is the job of a computer programmer, anyway).  Engineers are behind any and everything that you can think of: your TV, the chair you're possibly sitting on, the AC that's keeping you cool in this hot weather, your food.... you name it, and there's an engineer that's involved with it.  They apply their knowledge of science and math (math is the language of science, if you didn't know that already) in order to solve problems and make society a better place.  They have to be able to invent and innovate technology to fit our growing needs and solve our problems while working under time and financial restraints.  Engineers often works in teams to achieve their goal.   While they aren't strictly science, they apply their knowledge of science and math to create things that are useful to society.  (Yes, they are truly that amazing.) They pave the way to a technological future.

There are many types of engineers, and I'll list a few here (with a bit of info, of course).  I'll also list some sites at the end of this post for you to check out.  If you don't like them, then just try googling engineering for kids or something like that to find a site that's right for you.

Civil Engineering: They are one of the more well-known engineers.  Civil engineers deal with design, and they are the ones that build structures and make sure they're safe for people.  That road you drove on to get to McDonald's? There's been a engineer or two who's help to make sure it's sturdy.  They also design structures such as bridges, dams, airports, power plants, tunnels, etc.  Here's something for you to look up that might be interesting: mag-lev trains.  Civil engineers have a hand in all of these structures and more.

Electrical and Computer Engineering: They have to learn how electricity works and apply it to their work. Light bulbs, robots, cell phones, sensors, all of those need wiring and electricity work, and that's where a handy-dandy electrical engineer comes in.  Computer engineers deal with computers, of course: the hardware, software, and also other things such as medical imaging.

Chemical Engineering:  Here's a lesser known engineer.  Chemical engineers deal with... you guessed it, chemicals!  They try to make sure that chemicals are safe (remember, chemicals aren't all bad- H20 is completely harmless and very necessary: water!) in the lab and when they're manufactured as well (and at all other times as well...)  Things that would have been made by chemical engineers include common household items like... you probably didn't guess it, shampoo!  Along with shampoo, there's petrochemicals (derived from oil), pharmaceutical chemicals (medicine), and nanotechnology that you might find chemical engineers involved with.

Mechanical Engineering:  Mechanical engineering is probably one of the broadest and oldest branches of engineering.  All those images of gears and other machinery that comes to mind with the word engineer?  Yeah, that's mechanical engineering.  They don't only deal with gears, though.  They are behind things such as rockets, cars, roller coasters, water guns, and so much more, but I'll leave that for you to figure out.

Biomedical Engineering:  Yeah, I think that you could guess what biomedical engineers do.   They develop technology to help save lives.  Some subcategories include rehab engineering (to help out the body when it fails, such as making fake limbs or pacemakers), biomaterials (creating non-toxic materials that the body won't reject, such as a fake bone), and medical imaging (CAT scans, x-rays, etc.)

Environment Engineer:  These engineers are out to save the world! As you can guess, they try to fix the environment.  They would work with issues such as waste water management, air quality management, and land remediation.  Such engineers also need good writing skills and other qualities to get all those big companies to listen while they explain that they're ruining the environment and how to make it better.  Tough job, eh?

Materials Science and Engineering (MSE):  These engineers deal with materials.  They try to make materials that have specific qualities.  For instance, say a biomedical engineer asked a MSE person for a type of material that would be lightweight, strong, and won't be rejected by the human body to create a bone.  A team of MSE engineers would try to either identify a material that can be used, or modify a material so that it will fit the criteria.

Industrial and Systems Engineer:   These engineers are like managers.  They oversee the process of production, and make sure that systems are efficient and cost-effective.  They'll learn about many branches of engineering, and analyze machines, facilities, and other aspects of production lines to make sure things are running smoothly and make improvements.  They are also likely to become a manager because of the nature of their job.

Okay, that's enough for today.  Here are some links (actually, one that links to many other links):

http://www.discoverengineering.org/  Click around!  This site has many good links that I have yet to explore, and I hope you do too!

Oops! Forgot my credits:  Thanks to all of my counselors at camp for teaching us about engineering!  And of course, now that I'm at the whole thanks-giving thing, thanks to the most wonderful science teacher of all, SunnyD, without whom this wouldn't be here.  And thanks to the best lit teacher ever, kokopelli1015!