Last week was National Engineers Week and to celebrate, Mr. Weitlauf’s Principles of Engineering class was able to learn more about engineers from 2 engineers themselves. Ed Garrison, the Director of Construction Administration for JQOL, and Chris Limiac, the Water Resources Department Manager for BF&S, presented to the class, talking about their journey to where they are now and the variety of opportunities for engineering students and their career paths.
Both Mr. Garrison and Mr. Limiac expressed the fact that there are many more opportunities for high school students today to get a jump start on their engineering aspirations and are able to gear their high school education towards their futures with more guidance. This was unlike both individuals who grew up with less resources as Mr. Garrison stated, “I got lucky to do what I do today.” Despite this, at Purdue, both Mr. Garrison and Mr. Limiac had plenty of resources and opportunities through Purdue’s engineering program and after. In addition, one idea that drove them was the idea that they wanted to build better communities while using resources effectively and efficiently.
After speaking about their journeys, they talked about a typical day-in-the-life of a person and how they use civil engineering without really knowing it.
- Get Ready- use your bathroom (sanitary sewers), make your coffee (clean drinking water)
- Go to Work- drive your car (roads, bridges, traffic signals), enter your office (structural)
- During the Day- use your computer (computer, systems), try new restaurants (surveying, mapping)
- At Home- use AC/heat (mechanical, electrical), make travel plans (airports)
Their presentation included an important statement, “Modern society is possible because of engineering”. Included in the job of a civil engineers is to…
- Design projects that impact civil society
- Collaborate with a variety of people/jobs
- Be aware of local building codes, zoning laws, and regulations
- Connect people to places
- Grow cities and communities
- Contribute to a cleaner environment
- Have strong job security in Indiana!
Civil Engineering offers a variety of roles and jobs including: structural engineer, transportation engineer, traffic engineer, bridge engineer, geotechnical engineer, water resource engineer, stormwater engineer, environmental engineer, surveyor, construction inspector, utility coordinator, and construction manager. At the end of the presentation, Mr. Garrison and Mr. Limiac showed different projects done by themselves and their companies. Here are a few pictures of their work:
