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Engineering a Green Future: A Mission We All Must Embrace

Our world has been grappling with the repercussions of pollution for centuries. From unsanitary living conditions to air and water pollution, the toll on our health and the environment is undeniable. Deadly bacteria thrive in these conditions, often leading to disease outbreaks. Today, carbon dioxide, water, and land pollutants are the primary culprits poisoning our Earth.

But there's hope. Green engineering offers us a path to a sustainable future. Green engineering focuses on reducing pollution, conserving natural resources, preventing waste, integrating renewable energy sources, improving energy efficiency, and much more. It's about designing, developing, and using processes and products in a way that minimally impacts the environment while still serving societal needs. Environmental engineers play a huge part in reducing pollution. Their creative thinking has produced methods for ensuring an environmentally friendly future.

The mission of engineering a green future is not just for engineers, but for all of us. We can all contribute to this cause by adopting sustainable practices, advocating for clean energy, and supporting businesses that prioritize environmental responsibility. The time to act is now. Together, let's engineer a green future for ourselves and generations to come.

 

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Engineering Software You Should Know and Understand

The field of engineering encompasses various branches, including civil, mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering. However, there are numerous subcategories within these primary branches. These subcategories cover a wide range of project objectives and include structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, environmental engineering, transportation engineering, systems and power engineering, robotics engineering, automotive design engineering, and computational engineering. Regardless of their area of specialization, engineers rely on specific software to carry out their work effectively. Software has the necessary tools and capabilities to enhance the engineer’s productivity and achieve successful project outcomes. Here are four essential programs that every engineer should know and understand:

1. Autodesk Civil 3D: This comprehensive software is specifically designed for the meticulous planning and documentation of civil infrastructure projects. It allows engineers to speed up the design process and improve collaboration with agencies, contractors, and subconsultants, resulting in more innovative project outcomes.

2. Microsoft Excel: A versatile tool that is used to format, arrange, and calculate data in a spreadsheet format. Engineers can leverage Excel's solver function to determine the optional design variables that meet or exceed the contract standards. This software also facilitates accurate numerical analysis by allowing the engineers to accurately track project schedules and budgets.

3. Geographic Information System (GIS): GIS is a computer software that enables engineers to examines and presents data with a geographic context. It separates the data into categories, allowing engineers to save, organize, analyze, edit, produce, and visualize geographic data effectively.

4. Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB): This comprehensive software was designed by MathWorks with the purpose of developing algorithms and analyzing data. Engineers can utilize MATLAB for various purposes, such as modeling, signal processing, and image processing. It provides a comprehensive environment for engineers to solve complex problems efficiently.

 

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International Women in Engineering Day

Next Sunday, June 23rd, will mark the 11th International Women in Engineering Day (INWED). Initially, popularity and enthusiasm for the day expanded the celebration from its concentrated origin in the United Kingdom to become a worldwide event.

Originally launched in 2014 by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES), INWED sought to recognize and celebrate the presence and importance of underrepresented women in engineering. WES’ own mission is to be active supporters of women, motivate women to pursue careers in engineering, collaborate with government agencies and policymakers, and challenge stagnant cultures, which merge into the yearly celebration of INWED.

This year’s theme, #EnhancedbyEngineering, will focus on highlighting the incredible work that female engineers perform every day to improve their families and livelihoods around the globe. INWED encourages all supporting groups, globally, to organize events in support of INWED. There are many ways in which the supporting groups can collaborate and/or get involved during INWED. WES encourages that everyone can get involved by either becoming STEM ambassadors; hosting networking, mentoring, career, or social events; signing up for the INWED newsletter and following their social media accounts, such as Twitter and Instagram at @INWEB1919; joining WES as a corporate partner; and/or promoting this year’s theme with the #EnhancedbyEngineering and #INWEB24 hashtags. Last year, all supporting groups made a huge impact globally, potentially reaching more than 782 million people. INWED highlighted that only tweets using @INWED1919 had over 87k impressions. Additionally, INWED had nearly 30K visitors, and the webinar had over 700 attendees. Together, we can make significant change and expand awareness of the importance of women in engineering.

For more information about INWED and how you or your organization can participate, visit www.inwed.org.uk.

 

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World Environment Day

World Environment Day, observed annually on June 5 since 1973 and organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is a global public outreach forum for environmental issues that is widely observed by millions of people. It serves as a reminder of the urgent need to protect and preserve our planet for future generations.

Nature is in emergency mode, and time is running out. In order to prevent catastrophic consequences, we must take immediate action. The world is facing a climate crisis, and we need to cut yearly greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 to keep global warming below 1.5°C this century. Failure to do so will result in a significant increase in air pollution, surpassing acceptable limits by 50% within the next ten years. Additionally, if nothing is done, the amount of plastic garbage entering aquatic habitats will nearly triple by 2040.

According to the UNEP's Law and Environment Assistance Platform (LEAP), the production of plastic has reached alarming levels. UNEP-LEAP stated that about 9.2 billion metric tons of plastic have been manufactured since 1950, generating around 6.9 billion metric tons of primary plastic waste. Shockingly, more than three-quarters of this garbage is thrown away and ends up in dumps, landfills, unregulated waste streams, or the environment, which includes our oceans. The consequences of this plastic pollution are devastating. An estimated 19-23 million metric tons of plastic per year seep into aquatic ecosystems from land-based sources alone. This includes lakes, rivers, and seas and is further exacerbated by contributions from sea-based sources. The combined plastic leakage is wreaking havoc on ecosystems, economies, and society as a whole, including our own health.

On this World Environment Day, it is crucial that we come together as a global community to address these pressing issues. We must take responsibility for our actions and make sustainable choices in our daily lives. This includes reducing our carbon footprint, recycling and properly disposing of plastic waste, and supporting initiatives that promote environmental conservation.

The time to act is now. Let us use this World Environment Day as a catalyst for change and work towards a greener and more sustainable future for all. Together, we can make a difference and protect the only home we have—our planet.

 

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Infrastructure Week, Day 5: Roads

In the U.S., roads are an unavoidable part of our everyday lives. We use roadways daily to travel to and from work, school, social engagements, and more. So how do we deal with the issue of America’s crumbling roadway infrastructure?

As the years go by, American metropolitan areas are stymied by traffic congestion.

The average American spends 54 hours a year stuck in traffic. That’s 6+ vacations days! Meanwhile, suburban and more rural areas are forced to contend with deteriorating road conditions, as well as outdated and dangerous traffic configurations.

At KC Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C. (KC), maintaining and upgrading our roads remains an important priority. Our civil engineers are skilled in parking lot and roadway design, and along with our traffic engineers they can effectively and efficiently plan, design, and oversee the construction of intersection improvements, parking facilities, maintenance and protection of traffic plans, highways, utility relocations, site lighting, driveways and other roadways, curbs, and sidewalks so that the outcomes not only provide for smooth transitions but also for economically functional results.

With projects like NY-27 at Barners Road Interchange Reconstruction; Rehabilitation of Swan Street Roadway; Cross Westchester Expressway (I-287) Exit 8E Reconstruction; 5th Avenue Reconstruction; DeLavergne Avenue Reconstruction; and Milling and Resurfacing of Federal Aid Roads, KC strives to maintain the safety and commutability of area roads, because at KC we recognize the vital importance of roadway infrastructure.