Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Civil and environmental engineers are concerned with some of the most pressing problems of our world, including public infrastructure renewal, access to clean drinking water, environmental remediation and sustainable solutions to energy needs.
The CEE undergraduate program prepares students to face these tremendous challenges by providing a sound education in math, physics, and science and engineering fundamentals, all while emphasizing hands-on design projects and case studies that supply context and motivation. Students are taught how to combine theory, measurement and modeling to develop a good understanding of the problems at hand and point the way to desirable solutions.
The three CEE undergraduate degrees - civil engineering (1C) environmental engineering science (1E) and civil and environmental engineering degree (1A) - share a common core, usually taken in the sophomore year, that includes subjects in ecology, mechanics, mathematics and engineering design. In the junior and senior years, students build on the core by taking more specialized subjects in their chosen degree tracks.
The CEE engineering design lab sequence introduces sophomores to design and fabrication in a supportive team-oriented environment. The Classes of 2009 and 2010 designed and built energy-harvesting machines, for instance, a bicycle that harvests and stores the energy generated by the cyclist and a turbine that collects wind energy. Students in the senior engineering design class also design and build projects, including full-scale portable footbridges that can support a ton of concrete blocks.
Our departmental unit requirements are among the lowest in the School of Engineering, providing flexibility for students who wish to have a minor as well as a major, study abroad and pursue interests outside engineering.
