Careers in Engineering
There are over 20 branches of engineering, and many of the branches touch and cross over. Often projects require that engineers from several disciplines work together. Aerospace and materials engineers collaborated on the heat resistant coatings on spacecraft. Civil and transportation engineers work together on city planning projects. Can you think of other examples?
Aerospace
Aerospace engineers design and develop technology for commercial aviation and space exploration. They design airplanes, rockets, satellites, the space shuttle, RADARSAT, the Hubble telescopes, and the International Space Station.
Agricultural
Agricultural engineers design and build farm and food processing equipment, buildings for crop storage and livestock, and drainage, irrigation and waste disposal systems. Some work on indoor farming techniques such as hydroponics.
Automotive
Automotive engineers design, build, maintain, and operate self - propelled vehicles for use on land or sea, in air or space. They design cars, trucks, buses, trains, planes, boats, hydrofoils and motorcycles.
Biomedical
Biomedical engineers work with doctors and scientists to solve problems related to medicine, health and biology. They design medical instruments such as imaging machines, artificial organs and prosthetic devices.
Chemical
Chemical engineers work on harnessing, controlling and manufacturing chemical products by designing and operating the required equipment and processes.
Civil
Civil engineers plan, design and supervise the construction of bridges, roads, skyscrapers, airports and other structures. Civil engineering is one of the largest branches of engineering.
Computer/Software
Computer engineers deal with all aspects of computer systems: design, construction, and operation. For example computer engineers design simulation software to test the stress points on a bridge before it is built.
Electrical
Electrical engineers deal with everything related to electrical devices, systems and the use of electricity. They work on smaller things such as computers and bigger things like power plants.
Environmental
Environmental engineers work on products and processes related to the environment, for example, the development of water distribution systems, recycling methods, sewage treatment facilities, and the reduction of pollution and pesticides.
Industrial
Industrial engineers focus on the production process and improving productivity. They work on quality control as well as the design and management of plants and production facilities.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing engineers design and develop tools and equipment for all aspects of manufacturing. They are involved with overall production control, handling materials and automation.
Mechanical
Mechanical engineers apply scientific principals to design mechanical equipment and machines such as motors, refrigeration, and welding and air-conditioning systems.
Metallurgical and Materials
Metallurgical and materials engineers create new substances that are stronger and resistant to corrosion. They work with semiconductors, ceramics, alloys, synthetic, organic and composite materials. Metallurgical engineers work with metal alone. Working in teams metallurgical and mechanical engineers developed the protective coating on the space shuttle.
Mining
Mining engineers work on locating, appraising, and removing minerals from the Earth. They also design and supervise the construction and operation of mines and mining equipment.
Nuclear
Nuclear engineers design and control the operation of plants and equipment that use nuclear energy for fuel and medical purposes.
Naval and Ocean
Naval engineers design and build ships, harbours, offshore structures such as oilrigs and marine vehicles. Ocean engineers are involved in the exploration and use of the oceans' resources. They work with civil and chemical engineers on underwater oil and gas exploration.
Petroleum
Petroleum engineers work on the exploration, extraction and processing of oil and gas. They determine the best location for wells, plan and supervise the construction of facilities.
Transportation
Transportation engineers design and plan streets, highways and other transit systems to ensure safe efficient traffic patterns.
For more information:
Association of Canadian Consulting Engineers (www.acec.ca)
Canadian Academy of Engineering (www.acad-eng-gen.ca)
Canadian Council of Professional Engineers (www.ccpe.ca)
Canadian Institute of Mining Metallurgy and Petroleum (www.cim.org)
Canadian Institute of Transportation Engineers (www.cite7.org)
Canadian Maritime Section of the Marine Technology Society (www.mtsociety.org/sections/canadian/)
Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society (www.cmbes.ca)
Canadian Nuclear Society (www.cns-snc.ca)
Canadian Society of Agricultural Engineering (www.csae-scgr.ca)
Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (www.chemeng.ca)
Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (www.csce.ca)
Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering (www.csme.ca)
Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineering (www.ewh.ieee.org)
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