Engineering Fully Loaded - an initiative of the Institute of Public Works Engineers Australia | IPWEA | Civil Engineering | Chemical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering | Computer Engineering

Aerospace engineers design and develop technology for commercial aviation, the national defense and space exploration. In 1990, aerospace engineers helped launch the Hubble Space Telescope, an orbiting instrument that allows us to see 10 times farther than ever before.

Agricultural engineers design farm and food processing equipment; construct crop storage and livestock buildings; and develop systems for drainage, irrigation and waste disposal. Sometimes agricultural engineers work in labs like EPCOT’s Land Pavilion, where they experiment with promising indoor farming techniques such as hydroponics –the science of growing plants in fluids without dirt.

Working alongside architects, agricultural engineers focus on the safety, cost and construction methods of designing a building. For example, as populations grow, architectural engineers are investigating new ways to build on land where there is only sand and mulga.

Bioengineering combines biology and engineering. Some of these engineers work closely with biologists and medical doctors to develop medical instruments, artificial organs and prosthetic devices. Others investigate questions that involve technology and humans, such as: "How does working with computers all day affect one's health?"

Ceramic engineers direct processes that convert clay, non-metallic minerals, or silicates to ceramic products such as automobile parts, tiles on space shuttles and solar panels.

Computer engineers deal with all aspects of computer systems including design, construction and operation. Some computer engineers specialise in areas like digital systems, operating systems, computer networks and software. For example, we rely on computer engineers to design the software for a computer simulation that will test stress points in a bridge before it is built.

Environmental engineers assist with the development of water distribution systems, recycling methods, sewage treatment plants and other pollution prevention and control systems in the water, air and land. Environmental engineers constantly seek new ways to reduce air pollution and pesticides.

Fire protection Engineers design systems and equipment that prevent or combat fire. Engineers in this field are also concerned with the fire safety of structures.

Industrial engineers organise the people, information, energy, materials and machines involved in the production process. They are concerned with plant design and management, quality control and the human factors of engineering.

Manufacturing engineers design tools and equipment and work with all aspects of manufacturing – from production control and materials handling to mechanisation and automation. Manufacturing engineers design the sensitive equipment that makes vaccines. These specialists also improve manufacturing systems, enabling our country to stay competitive with other industrialised nations.

Metallurgical and materials engineers extract, process, refine, combine and manufacture natural substances to create new materials that are er and resist corrosion. Metallurgical engineers work with metal only. Teams of metallurgy and materials engineers created the U.S. Air Force’s stealth technology that makes a fighter plane’s surface nearly invisible to radar.

Mineral and mining engineers locate, remove and appraise minerals they find in the earth. Mining engineers lay out the mines, supervise the construction, create a materials transportation system and return the area to its natural state upon mining completion.

Nuclear engineers design, develop and control plants that use nuclear energy for fuel and medical purposes. Nuclear engineers are working on a nuclear-powered spacecraft that will travel to Mars.

Ocean engineers direct the exploration and utilisation of the ocean’s resources. Their work is closely tied to petroleum and civil engineering. For example, ocean engineers might focus on underwater oil or gas exploration (petroleum engineering tasks), or they might design structures such as offshore drilling platforms and harbour facilities (civil engineering tasks).

Transportation engineers design streets, highways and other transit systems that allow people and goods to move safely and efficiently. For example, before constructing a new sports stadium, city officials rely on transportation engineers to plan traffic patterns that will prevent major tie-ups after the game.