Civil Engineers
Roads, Rails, and Really Big Stuff
If it’s large, complicated and important to everyday life, it’s probably the work of a civil engineer. Civil engineers think big—they design highways, railways, and bridges. They make taller and stronger skyscrapers possible. And they regularly pull off near miracles, like building subways beneath busy cities and laying tunnels under the sea floor, sometimes even to connect two different countries. Civil engineers build our rails and roads to last, serving millions of people every day for many, many years!
Don’t be surprised if civil engineering turns up in your kitchen. When water flows from your faucet, that’s civil engineering in action. Civil engineers build the systems that bring sparkling clean water for drinking and cooking and (like it or not) for filling up the bathtub. They also design sewerage systems to take away waste. Next time you flush the toilet, think of an engineer.
Some civil engineers are devoted to giving us better and better amusement park rides. But before one person sets foot in a thrill machine, civil engineers test and test and test again just to make sure that all those rides are as safe as they are exciting.
Interested in civil engineering?
Check out these videos courtesy of Civil Scholar.

Palm Islands—Built from the Sea Floor Up
Civil engineers helped mastermind the construction of islands in the shape of a palm tree in the sea off the coast of Dubai—and then protect those islands from the ravages of the waves and winds, and equip it with the infrastructure necessary to support a mega-resort. Considered one of the world’s civil engineering marvels, the Palm Islands required the dredging of 3 billion cubic feet of sand and from the sea floor and shaping it into the complex palm tree form.
For more on the civil engineering challenges involved, go here: amorq.com/article/1969/top-10-civil-engineering-wonders

Coaster Rides and Water Slides—Engineering Thrills and Chills

Connecting Two Countries

Tripling the Capacity of the Panama Canal

Undergrounds Everywhere

Boston’s Big Dig

The Dramatic Hoover Dam
