Edited IMRAD Introduction

Im Courtney Barrett, a junior at Old Dominion University pursuing a civil engineering degree.
Engineering alone is the science, skill, and profession of researching and applying scientific and practical
knowledge to develop structures, machines, systems, materials and processes. Simply, it is the act of
using knowledge to conceive, model and scale a solution to a certain problem. More specifically, civil
engineering is the method of designing, constructing, and maintaining the infrastructure and public works
of society and the environment. This encompasses most of modern civilization, from roads, bridges and
airports to water treatment, plumbing, and energy systems.
Issues within the environment are what drive the necessity of civil engineering jobs. When
something breaks or malfunctions or when something new needs to be developed, civil engineers are
there to support, fix, and continuously develop societys framework the structural framework of society.
Public works of the nation, including buildings, roadways, ports, and waterways, are all part of societys
framework and fall under the care and consideration of civil engineers. Therefore, considerable focus is
placed on the sustainability of the environment around us, the resources needed to continuously grow and
the materials required to build our infrastructure is created from. The emphasis on sustainability within
engineering drives the idea to support long lasting improvement of society and the environments
condition. This way of thinking transforms traditional designs and construction methods of complex
systems to include the influence of with influence of the life cycle the surrounding population,
environmental assessments, and risk and uncertainty analysis. It is the combination of the idea of
sustainability and structural design that will project a new stronger wave of developments.
Sustainable engineering has become a standard ethical practice for civil engineers. It requires
the incorporation of many other disciplines and that certain requirements must be met. Todays standards
involve many permits and certifications that state when and where things can be constructed as well as the
incorporation of many environmentally efficient options. An engineers profession is publicly observable
and therefore mistakes can be very evident. This results in many examinations, models, and revisions
before construction begins. Engineering is ever-growing and ever-changing with the modern times

thus there are constantly new developments and theories to take into consideration which each new
project. New arguments can be brought to the table of one project and if it the argument proves its worth
to the development it the new standard will slowly integrate itself into companies. An argument can
become a new standard of the profession if its found to have substantial reason and evidence. This is the
common methodology of the standards that are developed today.
The field of civil engineering obtains its guidelines and standards from the American
Association of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The journals of ASCE are the media through which civil
engineers exchange technical and professional knowledge. The journals form an archival record of the
technical advances of the engineering profession. Papers, technical notes, discussions of papers, and
editorials are published within the journals. They do not provide the standards of the profession but rather
accompanying information. The study of knowledge within the civil engineering field comes from both
books and a deeper understanding. There is a side that requires the knowledge of specifically stated
information and then there is a side where information comes from an understanding of the job itself.
Within the profession one must keep an open mind to think, observe and understand the field from a
visual perspective. This provides the ability to not only relay information but to develop the ability to
think critically and improvise. The field of civil engineering is very broad, and therefore not one person is
able to learn every single aspect of every specific individual topic. Continually growing to develop land
and existing areas, civil engineering is ever changing to incorporate better and new ideas, like
sustainability.