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Engineering Disciplines

Quoth wikipedia:

“Engineering (from Latin ingenium, meaning “cleverness” and ingeniare, meaning “to contrive, devise”) is the application of scientific, economic, social, and practical knowledge in order to invent, design, build, maintain, and improve structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes.

The discipline of engineering is extremely broad, and encompasses a range of more specialized fields of engineering, each with a more specific emphasis on particular areas of applied science, technology and types of application.”

Well put crowd sourced mega brain!

Check out our breakdowns of the Fields of Engineering.

Engineering a Better World: Goal #11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

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Have you ever considered how a city apartment building could be used to help reduce carbon dioxide from the atmosphere? Engineers across the globe are asking questions just like this to help make cities and communities more sustainable, as well as to contribute to the SDGs. The SDGs, also known as the Sustainable Development Goals, are 17 goals laid out by the United Nations that aim to make the Earth a better and more sustainable place to live.

Here are 3 innovative and unique ways engineers are working towards Goal #11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

Vertical Forest

Have you ever looked at the top of an apartment building and noticed a few trees growing on the roof? Well, picture that times about 800! This is called a Vertical Forest, and was first designed in Milan, Italy. It was created with the purpose of reducing air pollution and producing new, clean oxygen within cities. Trees are able to do this through the process of photosynthesis. Their leaves take in carbon dioxide, water, and energy from the sun, and turn it into food for them to eat, producing oxygen in the process! This is especially impactful in cities, which account for 70% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. These buildings are not only beautiful, but help our cities stay healthy!

Mexicable Gondolas

Cities have a lot of traffic due to the people who drive into the city to work, and those who already live there. This is the case in Mexico City, where serious traffic is not just an annoyance, but a health concern as well. As a car is driven, it burns gasoline which creates harmful pollutants that enter the atmosphere. In Mexico City specifically, which is surrounded by mountains, that pollution stays trapped above the city. In 2016, Mexico City only had 26 days with acceptable air quality levels! As a solution to this, the city introduced gondolas called the Mexicable, which allows citizens to glide overhead of the traffic. These produce less emissions, and it is estimated that its invention allowed 5800 cars to be taken off the roads, reducing 17,400 tons of carbon emissions. The use of gondolas as public transportation is a sustainable way to travel and reduce car use!

Calearth Sandberg Homes

Did you know that across the globe, about 1.6 billion people don’t have access to adequate housing? The non-profit organization CalEarth is helping change this with SuperAdobe — sustainable, durable and low-cost homes using sandbags! The structures are made in a dome shape by layering long sandbags on top of each other. This simplistic design does not require heavy machinery and can be constructed by anyone. To make the design permanent, a layer of plaster is applied to the outside, protecting the home from weather. They’ve been endorsed by the United Nations, and these sandbag homes can currently be found in at least 49 countries across the world!

Through engineering, we have the power to make the Earth a better place and improve the quality of life of people everywhere. Whether it’s in a big city or a rural community, by putting our minds together to come up with unique, sustainable solutions like these, everyone benefits.

Sources

https://www.stefanoboeriarchitetti.net/en/project/vertical-forest/
https://www.smartmeetings.com/magazine_article/vertical-forests-new-green-architecture

https://www.c40.org/why_cities#:~:text=Cities%20consume%20over%20two%2Dthirds,levels%20and%20powerful%20coastal%20storms.

https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2015/03/17/power-one-tree-very-air-we-breathe#:~:text=Through%20a%20process%20called%20photosynthesis,and%20released%20by%20the%20tree.

https://www.bdcnetwork.com/blog/public-transportation-future-four-new-sustainable-technologies

http://gondolaproject.com/category/engineering/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/06/mexico-city-chokes-on-its-congestion-problem

https://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/cities-grow-so-do-numbers-homeless#:~:text=Based%20on%20national%20reports%2C%20it’s,population%2C%20may%20lack%20adequate%20housing.

https://www.arch2o.com/7-innovative-low-income-housing-materials-that-might-save-the-world/

https://www.calearth.org/intro-superadobe

https://www.calearth.org/alumni-projects2

Rising Careers in Engineering

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What is the first thing that you think of when you hear the word ‘engineering’? Circuits? Computer softwares? Spaceships? Engineering is such a diverse field of study, you may not know what career to choose. It is important to understand all the different possibilities available to engineering students and which ones will hold the most critical roles in the near future. Here are some of the fastest-growing areas in engineering to help you out.

Biomedical Engineering

Biomedical engineers, or bioengineers, connect engineering principles and design concepts with medicine and biology. As many new medical devices and technologies get introduced to the world of healthcare every day, more and more bioengineers are needed to keep up with the demand. Employment in biomedical engineering saw a 72% growth rate through 2018.

Software Engineering

Software engineering is one of the fastest rising professions in the world! This is because the number of people switching to digital platforms and technologies to do everyday tasks is growing more than ever, especially due to the coronavirus pandemic. Software engineers use computer programming to create software products, internet services, network control systems, and more. The employment of software developers is projected to have the fastest growth of all professions, 22 percent from 2019 to 2029.

Civil Engineering

Civil engineering focuses on designing and constructing roads, bridges, electrical and water systems, dams and tunnels, and many other public projects and systems. Infrastructure development is going through big changes as new renewable energy sources and modern technologies emerge. Civil engineers are using solar and wind power to pave the way for a more eco-friendly world. The employment of civil engineers is projected to grow 2 percent from 2019 to 2029.

Electrical Engineering

Electrical engineers are involved with design and application of electrical devices and equipment as well as the study of electricity and electromagnetism. They manufacture motors, vehicle parts, navigation systems, solar arrays, semiconductors, and many other consumer devices which will continue to be in high demand in the coming years, with an expected growth rate of 9%

Environmental Engineering

Environmental engineers are in charge of all things sustainability. They handle water supply quality, air quality, contamination, and more. An environmental engineer today would likely focus on the water system sustainability issues that have recently emerged in many municipalities. The employment of environmental engineers is projected to grow 3 percent from 2019 to 2029.

Engineering a Better World: Goal 3 Good Health and Wellbeing

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Have you ever thought about how 3D printing could be the answer to helping more people get organ transplants? Engineers across the globe are thinking about things just like this that contribute to the SDGs. The SDGs, also known as the Sustainable Development Goals, are 17 goals laid out by the United Nations that aim to make the Earth a better and more sustainable place to live. Goal #3, Good Health and Wellbeing, looks to promote and ensure healthy wellbeing for all.

Here are 3 innovative and unique ways some engineers are improving health and wellbeing across the globe:

Virtual Rehab

The uses of virtual reality (VR) are truly endless, and engineers like Dr. ir. Isabel Van De Keere are applying just that to healthcare. She created Immersive Rehab, a type of neurorehabilitation (a process of healing or helping with nervous system-related injuries, like multiple sclerosis and strokes) that combines treatment with VR. Through the use of a VR headset, patients are able to enter a virtual world to perform rehab exercises, interacting with virtual objects. She created this after going through neurorehabilitation herself, following a workplace accident, and finding the exercises tedious with slow recovery. Immersive Rehab is not only fun but aims to improve recovery for patients and reduce lengthy referral times.

Phone App to Prevent Maternal Mortality

https://twitter.com/theGiftedMom/status/1019489078578958336

In Cameroon, as of 2017, for every 100,000 live births, there were 529 maternal deaths related to pregnancy. The high maternal and infant mortality rates in the country led engineer Alain Nteff to develop GiftedMom, an app that delivers medical information to mothers before and after their baby is born! Users will first message how long they’ve been pregnant. Every week after, they’ll receive texts that provide information on topics like breastfeeding, vaccines, and booking doctor appointments, which builds public awareness around pregnancy. Users can also submit their questions, to which they’ll get a response from doctors. This is extremely helpful for women living in rural and isolated areas!

3D Printing a Human Heart

https://nypost.com/2019/04/15/scientists-create-entire-human-heart-with-3-d-printer-for-the-first-time/

3D printing is a super cool process that allows you to turn a digital file into a real object — but have you ever imagined this could be used for human organs? At Tel Aviv University, researchers were able to successfully print a human heart. While people have printed the structure of hearts before, this is the first time it has been done using human cells and biological materials. This is a major breakthrough! Around 5,000 heart transplants occur around the world every year, but it is believed up to 50,000 people are in need of them. With such an unmet demand for a life-changing surgery, being able to print hearts to transplant would save countless lives. The technology has a long way to go, as the hearts are currently small and need training to perform like human hearts, but this breakthrough is huge!

Health and wellbeing is something that every single person across the globe is impacted by. Using engineering to come up with solutions to complex problems like these, is a powerful tool that can and will change lives!

Sources:

https://observers.france24.com/en/20160517-engineer-app-cameroon-maternal-death-rate-infant

https://www.voanews.com/africa/cameroon-continues-suffer-staggering-mother-child-birth-mortality-rate

https://www.indexmundi.com/cameroon/maternal_mortality_rate.html

Immersive Rehab

https://time.com/5710295/top-health-innovations/

https://www.biospace.com/article/tel-aviv-university-researchers-3d-print-a-human-heart/#:~:text=Researchers%20at%20Tel%20Aviv%20University,in%20the%20journal%20Advanced%20Science.

https://www.uptodate.com/contents/heart-transplantation-beyond-the-basics#:~:text=More%20than%205000%20cardiac%20transplants,should%20receive%20a%20heart%20transplant.

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint With These Shoes

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Photo: https://www.parley.tv/updates/adidasxparley

Have you ever seen shoes made out of garbage? You just might’ve and never knew it!

In 2015, Adidas released shoes in collaboration with Parley for the Oceans which use recycled marine pollution as plastic. They’ve since extended this to other products such as athletic shirts, leggings, jerseys and more.

The shoes are made from plastic that is collected along our oceans’ coastlines. The garbage is then sent to Adidas, who utilize plastic waste like water bottles that contain polyethylene terephthalate, which is used to make polyester fibers. They crush the plastic and break down the waste into small plastic flakes, which are then further transformed into resin pellets. This eventually creates what Adidas calls Ocean Plastic, a material that can function like polyester yarn!

The United Nations estimates within every square mile of the ocean there are 46,000 pieces of plastic. This floating debris can be dangerous for the marine life that call the water home. They may get tangled or caught in the waste, or even mistake it for food. This kills more than 1,000,000 seabirds each year! According to Business Insider, through this collaboration, Adidas has stopped 2,810 tons of plastic from entering the ocean, which is equivalent to the weight of 14 blue whales!

In removing harmful waste from our oceans to make shoes, not only does this help save marine animals, but prevents the production of even more plastic. Plastic takes hundreds of years to break down, meaning things like the shoes we wear might outlive us in landfills, the ocean, or other locations! By reducing our own consumption of plastic and coming up with innovative solutions like these, we can help better our planet.

engHero: Dr. Kizzmekia S. Corbett

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photo: https://www.humanvaccinesproject.org/event/november-5th-speaker-kizzmekia-corbett/

We’d like to shed light on a key contributor to the race to find an effective vaccine for the infamous Coronavirus. Dr. Kizzmekia S. Corbett isn’t just someone that should be recognized in February, but every time a vaccine is mentioned.

“ The vaccine you are going to be taking was developed by an African American woman, and that is just a fact,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, stated.

She sparked an interest in science at a young age, but couldn’t possibly foresee the difference her contribution would make. She attended the University of Maryland- Baltimore County as a Meyerhoff scholar, a mentorship program for STEM students. She received a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences, while also majoring in Sociology.

Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, the president of the University of Maryland, caught a glimpse of her raw talent early on and stated that he knew she going to make it upon meeting her.

Later she obtained her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2014.

photo: https://our-vaccine.org/dr-kizzmekia-corbett/

Corbett currently works as a research fellow and serves as the scientific lead for the Coronavirus Vaccines & Immunopathogenesis Team at the NIH (National Institute of Health). Her team worked to develop the Coronavirus vaccine utilized by Moderna. More specifically, her work is credited for developing the mRNA-1273 vaccine, the most used vaccine against the virus.

Dr. Kizzmekia S. Corbett always had a strong background in science, but it was her ability to communicate with others that set her apart from her peers. Aside from her research, Dr. Corbett is a dedicated advocator of STEM education and vaccine awareness in her community.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought much sadness to us all, but we have Dr. Kizzmekia S. Corbett to thank for bringing us one step closer to the end of this pandemic.

5 Resources to Help You Pick a University

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Picking a university is tough, especially if you will be calling it home for the next few years. Here are some resources that might help when making your decision:

University Tours

This may seem like an obvious one, but you don’t have to wait until grade 12 to book yourself a university tour! They are a great way to get a feel for the campus, put into perspective the actual sizes of dorm rooms, and get some insider information from your tour guide (especially if they are a current student at the school!).

University Fairs

University Fairs can be a great way to get your questions about a school answered by knowledgeable recruiters. Check with your guidance counsellors to see if your high school hosts any university fairs throughout the year, otherwise check out public university fairs like the annual Ontario University Fair (or any province you may be in!).

University Open Houses

So maybe you missed your chance for a university tour, or maybe you would rather explore a school with more of your friends and family than can fit in a tour group. Universities usually offer multiple Open Houses throughout the school year, where you can explore the campus, hear from different clubs and meet tons of current students. Keep an eye out on school websites for any university you are considering.

Current University Students

Chatting with current university students can be a huge help when debating what school to apply to, or which offer to accept. They can help give you the insider scoop about the school that may not be on the school’s website, and can become a friend should you choose to go there. Talk to your guidance counsellors to see if they can set you up with any of your school’s alumni, or reach out to the university itself.

When in doubt, email them!

All school’s have a Contact section on their website where you can write them an email or get their phone number. If you have a specific question, or just don’t know where to start, they will be happy to help you. Don’t be shy!