Twenty-first century civil engineering: An overview of who, what, and where
Kunberger, T.; Burian, S. J.; Lutey, W. A.; Morse, A. N.; O'Neill, R.; Bernhardt, Kristen Sanford; Welker, A.
From the erection of the Ġgantija temples and development of the Roman aqueducts to the
design and construction of One World Trade Center and the expansion of the Panama Canal,
civil engineers have played a crucial role in improving people’s quality of life. The civil
engineer of the past operated in a less complex world and relied more on ingenuity and trial and
error. As societal needs have evolved and the world has become more complicated, the
materials, methods, and technology used by engineers have had to become more sophisticated
and specialized. The civil engineering profession has evolved to meet these needs developing
several sub-disciplines over the years, with individuals in each of these specialization areas
increasingly being tasked with new and broader responsibilities to meet the ever growing
challenges in today’s society.
The primary objective of this paper is to analyze the recent past and current demographics of the
civil engineering work force and its sub-disciplines and use the information to draw conclusions
on future trends and needs. First, the paper compares demographic data from the past decade,
focusing on the Civil Engineering discipline as a whole. Subsequent sections discuss changes,
advances, and the future direction of some of the sub-disciplines, including Construction
Management, Environmental, Structural, Geotechnical, Transportation, and Water Resources.
The paper concludes with predictions into the next decade on the outlook for civil engineering as
a function of location, type of industry, and comparison to other engineering disciplines.
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