Learn what engineers do
Engineering is the process of envisioning, inventing, creating and building the world around us.
Engineers use the natural chemicals and materials found in the world, as well as the artificial chemicals and materials created in the laboratory, to design and build the things we need every day.
For example, engineers use:
- Brick, steel and glass to design and build buildings
- Earth, rock, cement and asphalt to design and build roads and roadway systems
- Wood, aluminum and new composite materials to design and build cars, airplanes and jets
- Earth-moving plans to design and build tunnels and dams
- Engineering technology to solve and prevent medical problems by creating artificial limbs, artificial valves for the heart, various types of sensors for the blind, and safety equipment and clothing for firefighters
- The principles of chemistry to solve problems involving the production or use of chemicals and biochemicals
- And, knowledge of the properties of light to build lasers and the physiology of the body to design products that are comfortable and safe to use.
In fact, before we can buy any product from a store – such as laundry detergent, computers, vacuum cleaners and tennis racquets – engineers must bring all the right materials together and assemble them in just the right way.
How do engineers do all this?
By using math and science to solve problems, engineers create new things and improve old things. As a result, engineers make our lives better.