Topical Areas of Engineering
Bioengineering
Bioengineering encompasses a number
of disciplines ranging from biomedical materials and equipment
to use
of biological systems in process design (including environmental remediation). Within our college, you could approach bioengineering
from:
• Mechanical Engineering: Robotics and prosthetic devices
• Civil Engineering: Environmental remediation
• Environmental Geosciences: Biogeochemical interactions in the
environment
• Electrical Engineering: Nanotechnologies and electronic controls
Environmental
Concerns
Protecting and remediating our environment will represent a major challenge for the coming generation and requires a combination of skills that are taught in a number of our engineering disciplines. These range from understanding hydraulics, to understanding chemical
interactions, to developing means of measuring and controlling both natural
and man-made systems. Within our college, you could approach
environmental applications of engineering from:
• Civil Engineering: The environmental tract
includes hydraulics and
chemical treatment
• Environmental Geosciences: Studies of how the Earth and its environment
operate with technical expertise developed in environmental geochemistry
• Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Green manufacturing
and development
of
environmentally friendly manufacturing processes
• Electrical Engineering: Development of sensor technologies
• Computer Science and Engineering: Design of network systems for
the sharing
of crucial environmental data
Energy
There is little doubt that energy concerns
will dominate much of the engineering industry within the period of your engineering
career. Energy concerns include: (i) identification of sustainable sources
(from an economic as well as resource point of view), (ii) safe production
of energy sources, (iii) reduction in energy use, and (iv) environmentally
safe production of energy. Within our college, you could approach energy from:
• Mechanical Engineering: The classic engineering
discipline for energy production
and efficiency analysis
• Civil Engineering: Public infrastructure on the one hand and safe disposal
of
energy wastes on the other hand fall within the purview of civil and
environmental
engineering
• Chemical Engineering: Developing environmentally friendly means
of
producing
energy and disposing of energy by-products
• Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Engineering: Improving
our
energy infrastructure and developing energy efficient electronics
(e.g., computers)
Nanotechnologies
The term nanotechnology is used
a lot these days, not always with the correct meaning. However, miniaturization of our engineering devices is opening
amazing new worlds for measurement, analysis,
and control of systems ranging
from computer communication to monitoring of health. Within our
college, you could delve into Nanotechnologies from:
• Electrical Engineering: These are the folks developing the
nano devices and
combining them in interesting network applications
• Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering: Applications of nano technologies
in
making our built world both more efficient and more intelligent
• Civil Engineering: Applications across the board from smart buildings
that can
control vibrations (e.g., during earthquakes) to water systems that
can self
monitor for contaminants
Because this is our initial effort to address
useful links and information on the specific disciplines, we value your
feedback on this site. We will use your comments to make the site as useful
and current as possible.
You may submit your suggestions/comments to Dr.
Stephen Silliman at silliman.1@nd.edu
