Engineering is a term applied to the profession in
which a knowledge of the mathematical and natural sciences, gained by
study, experience, and practice, is applied to the efficient use of the
materials and forces of nature.Engineers are the ones who have received professional training in pure and applied science.
Before the middle of the 18th century, large-scale construction work was usually placed in the hands of military engineers. In the 18th century, however, the term civil engineering came into use
to describe engineering work that was performed by civilians for
nonmilitary purposes.
Civil engineering is the broadest of the engineering fields. Civil engineering focuses on the infrastructure of the world which include Water
works, Sewers, Dams, Power Plants, Transmission Towers/Lines,
Railroads, Highways, Bridges, Tunnels, Irrigation Canals, River
Navigation, Shipping Canals, Traffic Control, Mass Transit, Airport
Runways, Terminals, Industrial Plant Buildings, Skyscrapers, etc. Among the important subdivisions of the field are construction
engineering, irrigation engineering, transportation engineering, soils
and foundation engineering, geodetic engineering, hydraulic engineering,
and coastal and ocean engineering.
History:-
• In the beginning, Civil Engineering included all engineers that did
not practice military engineering; said to have begun in 18th century
France.
• First “Civil Engineer” was an Englishman, John Smeaton in 1761.
• Civil engineers have saved more lives than all the doctors in history — development of clean water and sanitation systems.
• Henry H. White, first KY Civil Engineering Graduate from Bacon (Georgetown) College in 1840.
• Fall of 1886, “State College” (UK) established civil engineering degree.
• John Wesley Gunn of Lexington received first Civil Engineering degree from A & M College (UK) in 1890.
Civil engineers build the world’s infrastructure. In
doing so, they quietly shape the history of nations around the world.
Most people can not imagine life without the many contributions of civil
engineers to the public’s health, safety and standard of living. Only
by exploring civil engineering’s influence in shaping the world we know
today, can we creatively envision the progress of our tomorrows.