Civil engineers are pioneers of civilization. They are leaders, initiating change to improve the world in which we live. Their bridges, railways, tunnels, buildings and water and environmental systems are monuments to the improvements that have so significantly changed the nature of our lives.

When we think about civil engineering, images of buildings, bridges and roads generally come to mind. And while those images are good overall visual descriptors, they don’t tell the whole story. Civil engineering is so much more.

Until recently, many people considered civil engineering to be a “mature discipline” – a static practice. Nothing could be further from the truth. Civil engineering centers on infrastructure as always, but it continues to evolve. It has become a highly integrated discipline centered around the relationships between structures, networked systems and the environment – and how those relationships affect people.

We now have smart houses. Intelligent transportation systems. Integrated communications networks. These critical infrastructure components all demand sound structures for foundation and sophisticated information technology for strength and endurance. In fact, by introducing information technology (IT) to traditional civil engineering practice, the profession has taken on a whole new characteristic – and with it new ways to approach challenges and create infrastructure solutions that will keep our society progressing. The world in which we live today is far more complex than it was even a decade ago. Our

population continues to grow, and with that growth has come a sharp increase in people’s needs. Civil engineers address those needs – how do we shelter, transport, feed and provide a safe environment for people?That being said, who are civil engineers? In short, they are:

• Innovators – Civil engineers constantly look for new and better ways to meet society’s infrastructure and environmental needs.
• Problem-Solvers – Civil engineers consistently rise to the new challenges related to maintaining and improving built infrastructure.
• Creators – Civil engineers develop new structural and environmental systems that are stronger, smarter and longer lasting.
• Humanitarians – Civil engineers’ common objective is to make the world a better, safer place for all people.

Without civil engineers, society as we know it would not exist. But what, exactly, do civil engineers do? Civil engineers design, build and maintain conventional civil engineering structures – buildings, roads, bridges and water systems – and develop networked information systems that give intelligence to those structures. For example, they plan, design, build and maintain:

• The buildings that make up our modern urban centers, enabling people to live and work close together.
• The transport systems that move people and things from one place to another.
• The water, energy and telecommunications systems on which we depend daily.
• The systems that collect, treat and dispose of solid, liquid and gaseous waste products we generate, so they won’t harm us.
• The information technology systems that network structures and systems and provide security for both the structures and the people who live and work in them.

In short, civil engineers provide the infrastructure we need at the right time, on the right scale and at the right cost. More than that, however, civil engineers understand the needs and challenges of our society’s rapidly evolving urban areas. And while many CEs specialize in one particular system or discipline, they all understand how the systems interact. They must have this broader understanding, for all structural and environmental systems must work well both independently and together to be effective.

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