Flip on a light switch. Check the news on your smartphone. Stream a video. These everyday activities are made possible by the work of electrical engineers. They specialize in the technology of electricity—designing, developing, testing and producing electrical equipment and systems within a wide range of technologies. Do you like to create, solve and build? Electrical engineering might be right up your alley.
From Amazon’s servers crashing on Prime Day to Ellen DeGeneres’ famous Oscars selfie breaking Twitter, IT emergencies happen. Thankfully, devOps engineers are always thinking ahead and collaborating with developers and other IT staff to mitigate system downtimes and promote automation. Focused on system reliability, devOps engineers work behind the scenes – laying the groundwork that allow programs to run smoothly – writing code, and planning and executing maintenance, code deployments and migrations.
Do you see everyday products and find ways to improve them? Design engineers combine creativity with engineering principles; they research and develop ideas for new, more efficient products and seek ways to expand functionality in existing products – such as transferring a Fitbit to animals to help track health and productivity.
Ever peeked inside a laptop or cell phone and wondered how it was created? It was likely the work of a computer hardware engineer. Using design methods, problem-solving and logic skills, computer hardware engineers build computer systems and their related components. From processors to memory devices, 3-D printers to self-driving combines, computer hardware engineers shape the future of computer technology.
Cloud computing is a necessity in today’s business landscape, and cloud engineers are the experts in all things cloud-based. “Should I take storage from my computer to the cloud?” “Is my data information secure?” These are problems and questions that cloud engineers solve through managing, planning, building and monitoring cloud systems.
Chemical engineers are in the business of making chemical manufacturing safe and efficient. They design chemical plant equipment and create processes for chemicals and products that are essential to everyday manufacturing—gasoline, rubber, plastics, detergents, cement, paper and more. And they do it all by applying principles and technology of chemistry, physics and engineering.
How can we grow crops that resist disease, withstand droughts or yield larger produce? Bioengineers solve issues like these by enhancing or augmenting biological processes. This may mean working to develop a transgenic papaya that resists the ringspot virus, a strain of cotton plant that is able to tolerate herbicides or a type of popcorn that produces more kernels. In this way, bioengineers help improve the productivity of crops used for food, fiber and fuel.
If you’ve ever asked “Alexa, what’s the weather today?” then you’re familiar with the work of machine engineers. Machine engineers curate and program large data sets that ultimately function as the “brain” of artificial intelligence devices, allowing them to operate independently.
Feeding 8-billion people is no easy feat – and as the global population approaches this threshold, the demand for food and agricultural products only continues to increase. Agriculture technician support improved farm efficiency, productivity and sustainability by conducting experiments and coordinating the operation of farming fields. Agriculture technicians are problem solvers – they set up and maintain lab equipment, collect crop and/or animal samples, record data, research and analyze findings. To address the ongoing challenges both locally and globally, agricultural technicians’ ongoing research and implementation is critical.
Mechanical engineers are curious problem solvers who research, design, develop and test mechanical devices, with the goal of increased productivity and improved performance. Students interested in pursuing mechanical engineering degrees will examine the general laws of physics, mathematics as science as foundations to understand and apply to mechanical systems. Coursework will likely include motion, heat transfer, thermodynamics, thermo-fluid systems and solid mechanics. Graduates are able to pursue careers in a wide range of industries, including biotechnology, robotics, energy, aerospace, automotive and much more.
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