1 CIVIL ENGINEERING A WIDE RANGE OF FIELDS Answer these questions. a. Do you know anyone who works as an engineer? b. Can you name at least three famous engineers? c. Would you prefer to become a civil engineer or an architect? Why? to be in charge of: avere l incarico di clearance: bonifica dam: diga devoted: dedicato to draft: redigere hazardous: rischioso load: carico Materials Science: Scienza dei Materiali to monitor: tenere sotto osservazione newly: recentemente off-shore: al largo, lontano dalla costa rig: piattaforma safeguarding: salvaguardia, tutela several: numerosi stiffness: rigidità sustainability: sostenibilità wide-ranging: a tutto campo, eclettico Civil Engineering is the profession of designing and executing structural works that serve both the general public and private people. The term Civil Engineering was first used in the 18th century to distinguish the newly recognized profession from military engineering. Nowadays, it is a wideranging profession that covers design, Civil engineer construction and safeguarding of the environment. Engineering includes buildings, bridges, roads, canals, ports and dams and is related to the knowledge of other subdisciplines such as Mechanics, Geology, Materials Science, Hydrology and other fields. It includes several different activities, such as surveying and construction engineering, environmental engineering, structural engineering, and many others. Surveying and construction engineering involves planning and execution of the designs from the site development to the building itself. Construction engineers are often in charge of drafting contracts, evaluating logistical operations and monitoring prices of necessary supplies as well. Environmental engineering deals with the treatment of chemical and biological waste, the purification of water and air, the clearance of contaminated sites and hazardous waste management. Environmental engineers can be involved with pollution reduction, green engineering and industrial ecology. Structural engineering is concerned with the structural design and structural analysis of buildings, bridges, roads, tunnels, dams, off-shore structures such as oil and gas rigs in the sea, and other structures. A structural engineer designs structures which 190 Module 6 FOUNDATIONS Environmental engineer Oil rig