Environmental Engineering
What Is Environmental Engineering
By definition, environmental engineering is a branch of engineering that focuses on the environment—air, water, and land—and the changes that can be made within our lives that will help prevent pollution and other damaging issues. Environmental engineering mixes math courses with a very strong science program. Students in environmental engineering curriculums will also take classes in human nature, sociology, and environmental law. Environmental law requirements are a newer addition to the field of environmental engineering so some students may be unaware that they will need to take some law classes.
For centuries, advancements have been made towards the environment, some are beneficial, and others have caused tremendous damage. Graduates of an environmental engineering program use their skill to help protect the environment. Advancements made by those in environmental engineering include recycling items like plastic, paper, and glass into new material. For example, some states have had tremendous success paving roads with a mixture of tar and ground up recycled tires. Environmental engineers also have figured out how to turn sewer water back into clean, safe drinking water. Those in environmental engineering study ways to reduce acid rain, help prevent the ozone layer from dissolving, or finding ways to reduce vehicle or factory emissions.
Think back hundreds of years to medieval times. People would throw their fecal and urine collections, food scraps, and other trash into the streets where it could be swept away by rain. Disease was a major concern. Eventually, some people in those centuries realized that they were poisoning themselves. This early form of environmental engineering started the field that would become one of the most popular forms of engineering in our times. Environmental engineering is a trial and error method in many cases. It is environmental engineers who discovered that DDT was a powerful insecticide; only they had no idea of the damage it would cause until years later. This has helped teach engineers that all actions must be triple checked, and that even then there are times when their methods may turn out to be a wrong path to take.
