9781422283257

sk most people what engineers do, and they will probably mention designing bridges or building tunnels. While that’s correct, it’s far from a complete answer. Engineering has many specialties, and engineers are involved in al- most every facet of modern life. We brush our teeth with toothpaste formulated by chemical engineers, fly on planes tested by aerospace engineers, drink water whose purity is ensured by environmental engineers, and play video games designed by software engineers. Engineers work on the world’s largest buildings and, smallest computer chips. That tunnel? It took a whole team of engineers to envi- sion, design, and build. A structural engineer decided how large it should be and what materials and equipment would be needed to build it; a mechanical engineer was responsi- ble for its ventilation system; a civil engineer specializing in traffic issues gave advice about the posted speed limit and the rate at which cars should be allowed to enter and exit; and an electrical engineer designed its lighting system (because no one wants to drive through a dark tunnel). Simply put, engineers are people who use science, tech- nology, and math to come up with practical solutions to re- al-world problems. They strive to create a better world by making it safer, cleaner, healthier and much more efficient. Many engineers are fond of quoting Albert Einstein, who once said, “Scientists investigate that which already is; engineers create that which has never been.” Similarly, the novelist James Michener wrote in his 1982 book Space , A

8

Black Achievement in Science: Engineering