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A Short History of Engineering. Origin. The Latin verb ‘enginium' means 'to be clever.' So the kinds of things engineers have done have been generally ingenious. And the word 'engine' means 'an ingenious and useful device.'. Engineering.
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Origin • The Latin verb ‘enginium' means 'to be clever.' So the kinds of things engineers have done have been generally ingenious. And the word 'engine' means 'an ingenious and useful device.'
Engineering • The term ‘Engineering’ in general relates to the application of scientific and mathematical principles to develop better and more efficient methods for design, manufacture and operation of various systems.
Engineer • One who practices engineering is called an engineer, and those licensed to do so may have more formal designations such as Professional Engineer, Chartered Engineer, or Incorporated Engineer
Engineering is a well respected profession. For example, in Canada it ranks as one of the public's most trusted professions.
Nerd? • Sometimes engineering has been seen as a somewhat dry, uninteresting field in popular culture, and has also been thought to be the domain of nerds. For example, the cartoon character Dilbert is an engineer.
Engineering has been a very important area of study throughout human history. It has helped man surpass various obstacles on his road to success.
In prehistoric times, men and women had to be ingenious in order to survive hunger, enemies, climate and, later, the tyranny of distance.
So there have always been 'engineers' around, many of whom were involved in activities we would not associate with engineering today but, rather, with hunting, farming, fishing, fighting, implement- and tool-making, transportation and many other things.
From around 3000 BC, the pace of development quickened. • After simple tools came the development of wedges, wheels and levers, the use of animals to carry and draw loads and of fire to work metals, the digging of irrigation canals, and open-pit mining.
Geographically, these and many other developments took place in and around the Mediterranean, in the Middle East and in Asia Minor. Pyramids were erected in the Nile Valley.
The Greeks • The Greeks - the inventors - made significant contributions in the 1000 years that straddled the BC-AD divide. They produced the screw, the ratchet, the water wheel and the aeolipile, better known as Hero's turbine.
The Romans • The Romans - the improvers and adapters - did likewise, building fortifications, roads, aqueducts, water distribution systems and public buildings across the territories and cities they controlled.
The Chinese • At the other end of the world, the Chinese have been credited with the development of the wheelbarrow, the rotary fan, the sternpost rudder that guided their bamboo rafts and, later, their junks. They also began making paper from vegetable fibres - and gunpowder.
The Dark Ages • The so-called 'Dark Ages' (roughly, 500 to 1500 AD) that followed still produced some things that were ingenious. For example, there was the development of the mechanical clock and the art of printing.
The Renaissance • These 'Dark Ages' were followed by the Renaissance of the 16th century, which the engineer/inventor/artist Leonardo Da Vinci dominated. But this whole period came under the influence of the architect/engineer, who built cathedrals and other large buildings, and the military engineer who built castles and other fortifications.
The Industrial Revolution • During the century between 1750 to 1850, the Industrial Revolution in Western Europe dominated the evolution of engineering. • The steam engine, factory machines and the railroad were developed.
The Industrial Revolution • …saw the beginnings of formal engineering education - notably in France - and the development of a new profession, that of civil engineering, in which 'civil' essentially means 'non-military.' The following 50-60 years saw the beginnings of travel by air and the experiments that led, much later, to nuclear power.
Engineering in America • When the Europeans came to North America in the early 17th century, they adopted much of the indigenous technology, as well as applying - especially in the 18th century - techniques borrowed from military engineering in Europe.
Growth • Due to a growth in the scope of engineering, it was divided into various fields to make the task of study and implementation easier. Some of these fields are:
Aerospace Engineering – This field of engineering deals with design, production and operation of various aircrafts, spacecrafts, missiles and other airborne technologies. This field is an expansion of another branch of engineering termed as the Aeronautical engineering, which deals exclusively with aircrafts.
Chemical Engineering – This branch deals with conversion of chemicals into useful forms of energy in an efficient manner. All crucial factors in other large scale production processes are managed by a chemical engineer.
Civil Engineering – Civil engineering is mainly concerned with planning and construction of fixed structures like roads, bridges, buildings, etc. This branch optimizes the various processes involved to help increase the lifespan of these structures.
Computer Engineering – This branch of engineering deals with the design and production of devices which help in the automation of various manual processes. It always deals with developing software to provide instructions to different tools and machines in the required order.
Electrical Engineering – As the name suggests, this branch deals with the efficient generation and distribution of electricity and maintenance of power supply. • Electronics Engineering – This branch of engineering deals with the functioning of electronic devices and equipment. It studies the flow of electrons in various systems to determine the flaws and improve the efficiency of the systems.
Environmental Engineering – The main task of this branch of engineering is to make use of science and technology to improve the environmental conditions.
Mechanical Engineering – Mechanical engineers are mainly concerned with application of scientific principles to analyze the designing, manufacturing and maintenance processes of various mechanical systems. This branch of study is connected to all other branches of engineering in one way or the other.
These are just a few of the numerous types of engineering fields. Please explore other engineering fields on you own. A good site to use: • Egfi-k12.org
Getting into college: Admission to engineering schools is highly competitive, and applicants that are chosen are often in the top of their high school class with extracurricular and leadership activities that show they are capable of the rigorous workload that awaits them when they enroll.
What to do in high school: • Take plenty of science, math and engineering classes. • Build a strong academic record. • Make your extra curriculars count. • Do your homework when selecting schools. • Get good letters of recommendation. • Take time to write a good personal essay. • Visit the campus.
Contact an engineering company and arrange a summer internship while you still in high school. • Contact an engineer and arrange an interview. • Review engineering companies around the country. See what they do and decide if you have an interest in doing that as a career.
