Environmental Engineering Environmental engineering is another new discipline that has grown
out of our concern for the environment. As the name implies, environmental engineering is
concerned with solving problems related to the environment. They apply the laws and the prin-
ciples of chemistry, biology, and engineering to address issues related to water and air pollution
control, hazardous waste, waste disposal, and recycling. These issues, if not addressed properly,
will affect public health. Many environmental engineers get involved with the development of
local, national, and international environmental policies and regulations. They study the effects
of industrial emissions and the automobile emissions that lead to acid rain and ozone deple-
tion. They also work on problems dealing with cleaning up existing hazardous waste.
Environmental engineers work as consultants or work for local, State, or Federal agencies.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for graduates of environmental
engineering is very good, because environmental engineers will be needed in greater numbers
to address and control the environmental issues discussed above. It is important to note that the
job outlook for environmental engineers, more than engineers in other disciplines, is affected
by politics. For example, looser environmental policies could lead to a fewer jobs, whereas
stricter policies could lead to a greater number of jobs.Manufacturing Engineering Manufacturing engineers develop, coordinate, and supervise the
process of manufacturing all types of products. They are concerned with making products
efficiently and at minimum cost. Manufacturing engineers are involved in all aspects of pro-
duction, including scheduling and materials handling and the design, development, supervision,
and control of assembly lines.
Manufacturing engineers employ robots and machine-vision technologies for production
purposes. To demonstrate concepts for new products, and to save time and money, manufac-
turing engineers create prototypes of products before proceeding to manufacture actual prod-
ucts. This approach is calledprototyping.Manufacturing engineers are employed by all types of
industries, including automotive, aerospace, and food processing and packaging. The job out-
look for manufacturing engineers is expected to be good.Petroleum Engineering Petroleum engineers specialize in the discovery and production of oil
and natural gas. In collaboration with geologists, petroleum engineers search the world for
underground oil or natural gas reservoirs. Geologists have a good understanding of the prop-
erties of the rocks that make up the earth’s crust. After geologists evaluate the properties of the
rock formations around oil and gas reservoirs, they work with petroleum engineers to determine
the best drilling methods to use. Petroleum engineers are also involved in monitoring and super-
vising drilling and oil extraction operations. In collaboration with other specialized engineers,
petroleum engineers design equipment and processes to achieve the maximum profitable recov-
ery of oil and gas. They use computer models to simulate reservoir performance as they exper-
iment with different recovery techniques. If you decide to pursue petroleum engineering, you
are most likely to work for one of the major oil companies or one of the hundreds of smaller,
independent companies involved in oil exploration, production, and service. Engineering con-
sulting firms, government agencies, oil field services, and equipment suppliers also employ
petroleum engineers. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, large numbers of petroleum
engineers are employed in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Colorado, and California, including off-
shore sites. Many American petroleum engineers also work overseas in oil-producing regions of
the world such as Russia, the Middle East, South America, or Africa.1.5 Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology 19
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