Civil Engineering

A People Serving
Profession
 Civil Engineering
Civil engineering focuses on
the infrastructure of the
world:
Water works, Sewers, Dams,
Power Plants, Transmission
Towers/Lines, Railroads,
Highways, Bridges, Tunnels,
Irrigation Canals, River
Navigation, Shipping Canals,
Traffic Control, Mass Transit,
Airport Runways, Terminals,
Industrial Plant Buildings,
Skyscrapers, etc.
 Civil Engineering
• In the beginning, Civil Engineering
included all engineers that did not
practice military engineering; said to
have begun in 18th century France

• First “Civil Engineer” was an

Englishman, John Smeaton in 1761

• Civil engineers have saved more

lives than all the doctors in history
--- development of clean water
and sanitation systems
 Civil Engineering
• Henry H. White, first KY Civil
Engineering Graduate from
Bacon (Georgetown) College in
1840
• Fall of 1886, “State College” (UK)
established civil engineering
degree
• John Wesley Gunn of Lexington
received first Civil Engineering
degree from A & M College (UK)
in 1890
 CE Student Organizations
• Chi Epsilon – Civil Engineering honorary
• ASCE (American Society of Civil
Engineers)
• AGC (Association of General Contractors)
• ARTPA (American Road and
Transportation Builders Association)
• ITE (Institute of Transportation Engineers)

• KSPE (Kentucky Society of Professional

Engineers – section of the National Society
of Professional Engineers (NSPE))
Civil Engineering Process

• Planning …
• Design …
• Construction …
• Operation/Maintenance …
• Rehabilitation …
 Civil Engineering
Specialties

• Construction • Structural
• Environmental/ • Surveying
Water Quality • Transportation
• Geotechnical • Water
• Hydraulics Resources
• Materials
 Construction Engineers

• Design formwork, scaffolding,

lifting apparatus, etc.

• Management of construction
resources: labor, materials,
equipment, money and time.
 Environmental
Engineers
• Apply fluid mechanics,
biology and chemistry to the
design and operation of
environmental control
systems, e.g., municipal and
industrial wastewater
systems.
• Model and monitor the
movement and behavior of
water pollutants in natural
waters.
 Geotechnical Engineers
• Analyze soil and rock that
affect the behavior of struc-
tures, pavements,
underground facilities, and
containment structures for
solid and liquid wastes.
• Design foundations, retaining
walls, roadway cuts, etc.
• Field and laboratory work
along with design.
 Hydraulic Engineers
• Analyze and design systems
to transport liquids.
• Small and large systems of
pipes as well as engineered
and natural channels.
• Hydraulic machinery such as
pumps and turbines, hydraulic
controls such as valves and
weirs, and hydraulic structures
such as dams and spillways.
 Materials Engineers
Design, analyze, and construct
materials such as:
• Steel
• Concrete
• Masonry
• Asphalt
• Composites
 Structural Engineers
• Design and analyze all man-
made objects whose primary
function is load resistance:
buildings, bridges, aircraft,
transmission towers, radar
domes and antennas, drilling
platforms, etc.
• Must also consider the
economics, esthetics and
social implications of their
creations.
 Surveyors
• Precisely locate and layout
engineering projects.

• GIS (Geographic Information

Systems), GPS (Global
Positioning Systems), and
lasers distance measurement
devices.
• Maps and aerial photos.
 Transportation
Engineers
• Analyze movement of persons
and goods.
• Plan, design, construct,
maintain and operate various
transportation modes (e.g.,
highway, railway, air, water,
etc.).
• Design traffic management
systems.
 Water Resources
Engineers
• Develop, use and manage
world’s water resources.
• Design water distribution
systems, wells, reservoirs,
canals, locks and dams, port
facilities and flood control
systems.
• Analyze the impact of other
engineering projects on the
natural hydrologic system.