Aerospace Engineers

Aerospace Engineers design, construct and operate aircraft, aerospace vehicles and propulsion systems. This includes planes, jets, helicopters, gliders, missiles and spacecraft. They are involved in researching, developing and testing new materials, engines, body shapes and structures that may increase the speed and strength of aircraft. They are also responsible for planning thorough maintenance programs for aircraft and exercising strict safety and environmental controls. Aerospace Engineers also use their knowledge of electrical, electronic and computer systems for automatic control and communication systems for the operation of aircraft.

Aeronautical Engineering deals specifically with flight vehicles such as airplanes and helicopters. Work in this field is still available, however it is being overtaken by aerospace engineering.

Aerospace Engineers may be responsible for investigating faulty engines or other components, and for developing repair systems. They may be involved in designing improved air conditioning or fuel systems for aircraft or ground based systems for operations such as flight control. They may prepare technical or commercial information when competing with other companies for the manufacture or supply of equipment.

The aerospace industry is changing from having an introspective defense dependent focus to a more export-oriented outlook. Opportunities now exist for research and development into composite material and manufacturing techniques, exploring how products are made. Many aircraft components are now made from advanced composite materials, such as carbon fibre reinforced plastics.

There are three main areas of work in the aerospace industry; design and manufacture, research and development and airworthiness operations. A new graduate engineer may be involved with one aspect of a project such as calculating the type and weight of material to go into a component. Senior engineers may be in charge of coordinating a whole project, giving other engineers, technicians and draftspersons different tasks to complete, and ensuring that the project meets budget.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority employs Aeronautical Engineers whose main task is to ensure that aircraft are airworthy. This covers the certification of aircraft and involves the assessment of manufacturers' data from within the country and overseas. They may have to assess mechanical systems, flight characteristics and aircraft performance. This may be done by test flights, measuring take off distances, rate of climb, stall speeds, maneuverability and landing capacities and comparing results with safety standards.

Aerospace Engineers may also work for commercial airline companies, aerospace manufacturers, government defence departments and defence forces and in government research laboratories.

Biomedical Engineers

Biomedical Engineers work with doctors and medical scientists, researching and designing ways to improve health care and medical services. They may use microcomputers, lasers, and other materials to develop and improve medical research equipment that is used to diagnose health problems. They may be involved in the development of medical products and different types of equipment used to monitor and treat patients and in designing and improving equipment for disabled people.

A biomedical engineer working in a hospital, for example, may be responsible for the safe and effective operation of equipment such as monitoring, diagnostic, and therapeutic medical equipment ranging from catheters, CAT scanners, pacemakers and kidney machines. They may be involved in designing artificial joints and limbs and assisting the surgical team in fitting these to the patient. Biomedical Engineers design and deliver technology to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities. For example, they may develop equipment to assist people who may have difficulty walking, communicating or carrying out simple daily tasks.

Chemical engineers

Chemical engineering is concerned with the ways in which raw materials are changed into useful and commercial end products. Research of raw materials and their properties, design and development of equipment and the evaluation of operating processes are all part of chemical engineering. These skills are combined to extract raw materials which can then be refined and manufactured to produce such things as food, petrol, plastics, paints, paper, ceramics, minerals and metals. Often these processes are carried out at large scale plants and the safe operation of these plants is also part of chemical engineering.

Extracting these raw materials without harming the environment is also a major area of work for chemical engineers. For example, new types of fuels which can be used safely to provide the energy we need, without having an adverse effect on the environment, are currently being developed and tested. Chemical engineers are also involved in the production of pharmaceutical products as diverse as penicillin and shampoo.

Chemical engineers may work in companies involved in the production of such things as food, plastics, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, metals and glass. Many chemical engineers also find employment in environment protection and the reclamation or clean up of contaminated sites, or in research laboratories, chemical plants and petroleum refineries. Other major employers of chemical engineers include manufacturers of basic iron and steel products, organic industrial chemicals and the mining industry.

Engineers working in this field may specialise as combustion engineers, petroleum engineers, principal chemical engineers, smelting engineers, water treatment engineers or environmental engineers.

Petroleum & Petrochemical Engineers

Engineers in this field find, produce, use and improve oil and natural gas based on geological study. Methods of removing oil and gas from the earth safely and economically are constantly being researched and tested.

Civil Engineering

Much of the physical infrastructure of our modern society is provided by Civil Engineers. Civil Engineers are concerned with all types of structures including dams, bridges, pipelines, roads, towers and buildings. They are responsible for the design and construction of all our transport systems, the design and management of our gas and water supply, sewerage systems, harbours, airports and railways. Civil Engineers plan, design and test the structures of private and public buildings and facilities.

They are also involved in many environmental areas such as the assessment of the impact large scale projects have on the environment and the collection and treatment of sewage and industrial wastes, pollution control, environmental control and resource protection and management.

A Civil Engineer will work from an architect's drawings and consider whether the chosen materials for a particular building will be strong enough to hold a structure of that height or design. At the same time they would also think about how the structure might affect its surroundings. It is the responsibility of the civil engineer to produce safe, economical and environmentally-sound structures.

Civil engineers may specialise as chief civil engineers, construction engineers, municipal engineers, structural engineers, transport engineers, or water supply distribution engineers.

Civil and public health engineers may work in the private sector as consulting engineers, project managers or construction contractors or in a wide range of government departments. Work opportunities for civil engineers are affected by fluctuations in the building and construction industry.

Building Services Engineers

Building Services Engineers are involved with designing heating, air-conditioning, electric lighting and power, water and gas supply, plumbing and drainage systems. Fire safety and security systems, phones, faxes, intercoms, computers, lifts and escalators are all needed for a functional and safe work environment.

Electronics & Telecommunications engineers

Electronics & Telecommunications engineering deals with devices and systems that use small amounts of electrical energy to analyse, transmit and store information.

Transmission of these electronic signals forms the basis of communications and the information technology industry, and includes the field of microelectronics and the use of silicon chip technology. Various systems for communication between people both nearby and on the other side of the world have been developed and are constantly being improved and refined. This communication takes place using satellite, telephone, optical fibres and computer systems. These systems are of vital importance in everyday communication, defense, transport, civil aviation & medical equipment such as the bionic ear, pacemakers and life support systems.

People who specialise as electronics engineers may work in such industries as communications, broadcasting, aviation, defense, robotics, computers, medical engineering or meteorology. Many electronics engineers are now finding more opportunities in entertainment, transport and telecommunications industries. Data communications, mobile radio and the broader entertainment industry all require the input of electronics engineers. An example of one growth area is the use of satellites and cable systems in Pay Television. The transport sector is employing more electronics engineers as the vehicles and the systems controlling them become more automated.

Electronics engineers in the field of communications may be responsible for the operation of satellite television transmission, or for the smooth running of telephone switching exchanges. Often these systems or operations are monitored using complicated panels of instruments. It is the responsibility of the electronics engineer to find and correct faults quickly and to ensure the smooth working of the operation.

Electronics engineering is a very diverse field and it is currently undergoing expansion as new applications are found for electronic equipment. This has led to the development of two relatively new fields of engineering - software engineering and mechatronics.

Software engineers design and modify complex software systems and computer hardware.

Mechatronics combines the disciplines of mechanical and electrical engineering. It is associated with the use of digital computers to control machines and processes. It is also used to create diverse products such as substitutes for human sensors and organs and computer controlled machine tools. Mechatronics is a rapidly developing field and as the world becomes steadily more technologically advanced it will be of increasing importance.

Electronic engineers work for companies and government departments that design, construct, and test electronic devices (including computers) or that are involved with their installation.

Process Control Engineers

Process Control Engineers are concerned with creating and maintaining computer software and systems designed to control the quantity and quality of a particular product when it is being manufactured. Computers are used in a chemical plant to control such things as pressure, temperature and liquid levels in a tank. It is also important to ensure that the minimum amount of waste material is produced during manufacturing.