Internet Resource Guide

for Civil Engineering Undergraduates at Penn State

By: Chris Lazration February 11, 2014

Table of Contents: 1.0 Introduction

1.1 Contents 1.2 Audience 1.3 Assumptions 1.4 Organization 1.5 Tips 3 4 4 4 4-5 5

2.0 Civil Engineering Websites

2.1 Penn States Civil Engineering Department Homepage 2.2 National Council of Examiners for Engineering & Surveying (NCEES) 2.3 Penn States eCareer for Students 2.4 Penn States American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE)

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3.0 Civil Engineering Academic Resources and Literature

3.1 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Library 3.2 Advances in Civil Engineering An Open Access Journal 3.3 Catalog of US Government Publications 3.4 Statistical Abstract of the United States

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1.0 Introduction
The type of information that can be found in this particular section of the guide is very instrumental in whether or not a student decides to continue using the guide or not. These sections preview the reasoning as to why this guide was comprised and what it can be used for. These following sections will clarify for the reader the exact uses and purpose of this Internet Resources Guide for Civil Engineering Undergraduates at Penn State University.

1.1 Contents: This guide is a collection of resources that are pertinent to any undergraduate student currently studying any of the fields of civil engineering. These resources include websites that allow students to gain more knowledge about the particular program that he or she is involved in, as well as websites that allow them to fulfill goals such as becoming a Professional Engineer (PE). This guide also includes resources that help students obtain jobs and internships in their desired fields. Also, this guide includes academic resources that will help students become more exposed to advances that are going on in the civil engineering industry. These academic resources give students instant access to a wide variety of information that may help them in whatever academic endeavors they are working on. 1.2 Audience: This guide was constructed for undergraduate students who are either juniors or seniors attending Penn State University and studying any of the fields pertinent to civil engineering. Anyone below these grade levels may find these resources overwhelming due to the fact that they would not have been exposed to the material yet. Also, graduate students and professionals already in the field may find the information in this guide a bit mundane because they have already gone through these stages and have already used most of this information. Students currently enrolled in the undergraduate programs, who are either juniors or seniors, will understand and benefit from these resources the most. 1.3 Assumptions: As stated above, the main assumption that is made for this guide is that the individuals using this guide are undergraduate junior or senior civil engineering students at Penn State University. Students who do not attend Penn State, and who are not in the civil engineering program, will become quite confused when trying to decipher most of these resources. Also, this guide assumes that the user has access to the internet and that he or she is quite able to navigate and work their way through an online resource. Along those lines, the guide assumes that the user has access to the Penn State server due to the fact that a couple of the resources require the user to login with the Penn State username and password. 1.4 Organization: This guide has been organized in such a way that the resources that will be used most often are towards the beginning. At the beginning of this guide, students will find abstracts pertaining to four different civil engineering websites. These four resources will be ones that will be visited very frequently in the junior or senior years; whether it is to look up what classes to schedule, how and where to sign up for the Fundamentals of Engineering exam (FE), how to get recognized for a job, or just how to become more involved in the civil engineering community at Penn State. The last four resources that can be found in this guide are ones that will be used on a less frequent basis. These resources include civil engineering academic material and certain literature such as databases, journals, catalogs, or statistical abstracts based upon civil engineering. The
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information found in these resources can help students find more detailed information about a particular topic, and help them learn about what is currently going on in the civil engineering fields. 1.5 Tips: The most important tip for using this guide is to read the introduction before diving into the rest of the document. This introduction can save the user from wasting a lot of their time looking for something that they will not find in this guide. The table of contents is a powerful tool. If a user knows exactly what he or she is looking for, the table of contents can help bypass a lot of unwanted information and put a user in the exact location that they are looking for. Each particular abstract contains a set of tips to help with that particular resource. Under these tips is where the user can find items that will help them successfully navigate the resource, and can help clear up some of the difficulties that come with using them. For best usage of this guide, it is best to open and read the document in Microsoft Word. By doing so, the links that are provided can be utilized to take a user directly to the resource being described.

2.0 Civil Engineering Websites

This particular section of the guide dives into detail about four civil engineering websites that will be used very frequently during a students junior and senior years at Penn State University. Also, three of these resources are geared directly towards Penn State students, so anyone not a Penn State student will have some difficulty trying to use these resources. The following abstracts will provide information on what the resources are about, where to find them, and some helpful tips to use when navigating the resource.

2.1 Penn States Civil Engineering Department Homepage Website Location: Homepage: http://www.engr.psu.edu/ce/ Undergraduates: http://www.engr.psu.edu/ce/undergraduate.html Description: This website is the homepage for the Civil and Environmental Engineering department at Penn State University. This website is an online resource comprised of bountiful amounts of information that pertain to just about anything that either a graduate student or undergraduate student will encounter in their days at Penn State. For example, the links on the left hand side of the page direct students towards a courses link, a faculty directory, and many other links that can help students better understand their civil engineering time at Penn State. At this point in time for juniors and seniors, the most useful link on the homepage will be the Undergraduate Students tab. Once on the undergraduates homepage, it can be seen that it is set up very similar to the departments homepage. The left hand side of the page users will find a set of links that are specifically for undergraduates. These links correspond directly to the most important topics that students will encounter in their undergrad days. The most important link on this homepage is the Student Handbook tab. This resource can help a student plan courses out from freshman year through graduation. Also, it helps a student decide on what path of civil engineering they want to embark on. There are multiple paths to take within civil engineering, and by using this website and links, a user can truly find out which path is best for them. Tips: As soon as a person is accepted into the department, they should go to the undergraduate homepage and look over the Courses tab to examine the curriculum of the major. By doing this, a student can determine which classes interest them, when the courses are offered, and what prerequisites are needed to take the class. The Student Handbook tab and location will be visited a lot during a students undergraduate days. The handbook shows students the different routes in obtaining their degree. It covers each specific path within the major, and even includes sample schedules for students to follow. The handbook also includes information about obtaining minors and information about non-civil engineering electives that will still count towards the necessary credit requirements to graduate. The Advising tab is also a very useful tool of the undergraduate homepage. This tab helps students find answers to difficult questions that they may have about anything related to the major. It allows them to get into contact with the right people to help them answer their questions. If a student does not know where to find something, contacting someone on the Advising tab is the best place to start in the search for the correct answer.

2.2 The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Website Location: Homepage: http://ncees.org/ FE Homepage: http://ncees.org/exams/fe-exam/ Description: This website is very important to any civil engineering students who have a future goal of becoming a Professional Engineer (PE). The homepage includes multiple links to many different levels of licensing testing and many different types of licensing tests. For juniors and seniors, the two links that will be of most interest will be the Students and Exams links. The Students link provides information on how and why a student would want to become a PE in their lifetime, but the first step in that process is passing the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam (FE). The FE homepage introduces students to what exactly the test is about. It explains the different FE tests that are available for particular majors, and it provides a breakdown as to what can be found on the exam. As well as that information, it provides statistical data to the passing rates from previous first-time takers of the test and from re-takers. By far the most important information that the FE homepage covers is the registration process. It goes over in great detail of how to register, when to register, and what to do to prepare for the test once a student has successfully completed registration. Tips: Students should register and take the exam as early as they can. It is better for a student to fail their junior year and re-take it their senior year while the information is still newly in their minds. Failing senior year and entering the workplace still having to pass the FE makes it much harder to pass. Study, study, study. The FE is not an exam that students should just show up for. The FE is an important accomplishment that employers look for when hiring for internships and full time positions. Students should prepare their minds mentally and physically for the test. The FE test consists of being focused for six continuous hours. Many students have trouble adapting to this type of testing atmosphere, so preparing mentally and physically will improve chances of passing. Become very familiar with the reference material that will be provided with the test. The booklet that contains formulas for all sections of the exam is a vital piece of information to know how to use. A student may not exactly know how to do certain things, but if they know where to find the corresponding formulas for that section it will make taking the test much easier.

2.3 Penn States eCareer for Students Website Location: Homepage: http://www.engr.psu.edu/career/Students/resources/ecareer.aspx Description: This online resource is a free job search system that allows students to view countless amounts of available job postings for students who are looking for internships, co-ops, or full time employment. Companies from all across the globe submit job descriptions to the faculty for them to review and post for students to see. The most intriguing thing about these job postings is that they are for Penn State Students only. These companies are looking for a particular breed of students for their jobs, and they come looking for Penn State students to fill those positions. This online resource also allows a student to seek help and advice on how to develop application documents. Students are recommended to submit cover letters, resumes, transcripts, etc. to the faculty for review and comments before they are posted to the site for employers to see. By doing this, a student can critique their documents to the best that they can be; thus increasing the possibility of them being noticed by the employees and the possibility of securing a civil engineering related job. Tips: Students should register and create an account as soon as possible. To be able to use this online resource properly, a student must register and set up a personal eCareer account. By doing this, it gives the student access to a wide variety of other resources; such as application document help, campus recruiting events, etc. Students should submit their application documents to be reviewed by a professional. Getting feedback on such important documents may help secure a dream job during a students time at Penn State. Check the website frequently. The site is updated regularly with new possibilities for employment all over the world. A student who checks for these postings the most has the greater possibility of landing the position Students are recommended to use the links on the left side of the page. These links cover just about any topic a civil engineering student would want to know about starting a careering the field. For example, a student can find information about civil engineering average salaries, how and why a student should accept or decline a job, and many more. By using these links, a student may find answers to some very difficult life decisions that they will be making during their undergraduate days.

2.4 Penn States American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Website Location: Homepage: http://www.pennstateasce.com/ Description: This online resource of the student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) here at Penn State is useful for undergraduates because it explains about how civil engineering students can become involved at the university. It explains to students that there is much more than the academic side of being a civil engineering student, that there are numerous activities outside of the classroom that civil engineering students can partake in. For example, the resource provides separate links to those activities; which are: THON, steel bridge, concrete canoe, and bridges to prosperity. One of the most useful parts about this resource is the link to the career fair page. This link provides important information for students, such as: when the career fair is, when the mixer before the career fair is, and most importantly, the employers who will be attending the career fair. The officers in the Penn State student chapter of ASCE update the career fair link very frequently, therefore allowing students to view up to date information about which companies will be attending the career fair and what type of positions that they are looking for. Tips: Students are recommended to become members as soon as they enter the major. Even if they do not plan to become involved with the activities, students may still list that they are members on their resumes. Many employers look to see if students are a part of discipline related organization. Sign up for one of the activities. These activities allow students to use the knowledge that they are learning in the classroom in a practical, real world, fun setting. These activities build friendships and bonds with people that may become useful in the field someday. If a student does decide to partake in one of the activities, they should add that to their resume. Adding something like steel bridge, concrete canoe, etc. to a resume is a great conversation starter that most employers look for, and can relate to, when looking over a resume. Do not be afraid to contact the student chapter. Their contact information is given at the bottom of the page. If the links do not provide sufficient information to a topic, contact them and they will provide whatever it is that a student may need.

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3.0 Civil Engineering Academic Resources and Literature

This particular section of the guide dives into detail about four resources that will be used less frequently than the four presented above, but are still relevant resources for civil engineering undergraduates at Penn State. Three of the four resources described in this section can be accessed by any individual who may be looking for information that can be found in that particular resource. The one exception is the American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) Library database. For undergraduates wishing to use this resource directly from the guide must have access to the Penn State server to obtain access. The following abstracts will provide information on what the resources are about, where to find them, and some helpful tips to use when navigating the resource.

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3.1 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Library Database Location: Homepage: http://ascelibrary.org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/ Description: This online database provides users access to thousands upon thousands of publications that encompass every imaginable aspect of civil engineering. The homepage of this database is a user interactive page with four categories; journals, e-books, standards, and proceedings. Each one of these categories has a corresponding drop down menu to let the user refine exactly what it is that they are looking for. Once a user has selected what they wish from the drop down menu, the page is directed to specific documents that relate to the topic that the user chose. Along with the four main categories that pop out of the middle of the homepage, the database also provides the user to a Quick Search option. This is a particularly useful option because it allows the user to quickly navigate to topics that they are most interested in. Having this amount of pertinent available at all times is vital for junior and senior civil engineering students. It should be noted that the information cannot be instantly obtained from this database. This database comprises searches based upon what the user is looking for, and then tells a user where he or she is able to go find it. Although this database contains endless amounts of information, this is not a resource that a student would want to use if they needed detailed information instantly because it does not provide complete copies of the titles that displays. Tips: This is a gigantic database containing countless amounts of information. Students should be prepared when coming to this source, and know exactly what it is that they are looking for to avoid being a complete waste of time. Be specific when using the Quick Search option. The more specific a student is about the topic that they are looking up, the closer the search results will be to what they are looking for. A broad search will result in multiple hits, which could lead to students wasting time filtering through the hits that they really did not want. Become a registered member. If a student thinks that this may be something that they will be using regularly, register. By becoming a member, a user can save searches so that they do not lose them. They can also set up their personal preferences therefore when they log on the database directs them to topics that they have previously been interested in. It allows the user to bypass all of the topics and menus that they do not wish to interact with.

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3.2 Advances in Civil Engineering An Open Access Journal Journal Location: Homepage: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ace/ Description: This online resource is an open access journal that is peer reviewed that displays publications of original research articles, as well as many other articles that are relevant to any of the fields in civil engineering. This resource is one that students will not use much in their academic days as undergraduates because many of the topics discussed in this journal are much more in depth and detailed than any topic will be in their undergraduate studies. The main use that students can get from this literature resource is reading and learning about current findings and advances in the fields of civil engineering. These journals reflect topics and studies that are currently going on and that will most likely affect students at some point in their careers. This journal allows students to broaden their knowledge of the civil engineering fields outside of the classroom, and can allow students to become exposed to civil engineering topics and research that they will not find anywhere else. Tips: The best way to use this journal is by the table of contents. Students can break the journals down into particular topics and by what year they were published. Many of these topics discussed in this online journal will be new to undergraduate students. Do not shy away from reading these journals. Even though these topics are not currently relevant to undergraduates academics, most of these topics and advances will become relevant at some point in a students career. As stated in the description, this journal is an open access journal that is peer reviewed before publication. If at any time a student believes his or her work is noteworthy and would like to share it with thousands of others who are interested in civil engineering, submit the work and have it reviewed. Once reviewed, the work may become published for many others to read and learn from.

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3.3 Catalog of US Government Publications Catalog Location: Homepage: http://catalog.gpo.gov/F Civil Engineering Report: http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/gpo39792/13060.pdf Reports Bibliographic Information: http://catalog.gpo.gov/F/5DYVHJFE8PR42285G3LQXP99U85772K99TM72TBK9F1KXP D56T-41673?func=full-set-set&set_number=316031&set_entry=000006&format=999 Description: This online resource is a tool to help users find federal publications about whatever they particular subject is that they are looking for. The resource contains historical descriptive records and numerous amounts of current publications, and even contains access to links to any of the publications that are currently available online. To use this catalog, users are able to search for the following criteria: the authoring agency, title, subject, or a general key word about the topic. Also, if this does not provide adequate results, a user may perform an advanced search by entering more detail about whatever it is they are looking for. This catalog is a great resource to use when trying to find reports and publications about a particular topic, and can be very useful for civil engineering students who are in search of academic information or literature about their particular field of study. For example, a user may decide to search concrete bridges. If they would do so, a list of ninety-three records would pop up that matched the search tag. For demonstration purposes, lets use the report found at the above link. This report, titled Ultra-High Performance Concrete: A State-of-the-Art Report for the Bridge Community is just one of the ninety-three reports that were generated off the simple search for concrete bridges. This report describes the use of ultra-high performance concrete, which is an advanced construction material, in the future of bridge infrastructure. The report dives into great detail about the technical properties of this new ultra-high performance concrete; and explains the differences and advantages of this concrete to the normal concrete that has been used throughout the years. It also gives examples of items and places where this new concrete has already been used, and how it will continue to be used in the future. Tips: When searching for reports on particular topics, students should be as descriptive as possible. A vague search will result in a lot more hits, which will create more hassle for the user searching through them. Find and read through the table of contents in the report. After a student selects a report that he or she believes will be the one that includes the information that they are after, they should read the table of contents to make sure that what they are looking for is actually included. Many of these reports are hundreds of pages, and it would be a shame to have to read the entire document to find out that the information a reader wanted is not actually in that report.
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3.4 Statistical Abstract of the United States Abstract Location: Homepage: http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/ Civil Engineering Abstract: http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s1090.pdf Description: The Statistical Abstract of the United States is a synopsis of statistics encompassing a vast amount of topics in the United States since 1878. Some of the sources of these statistics are as follows: Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and many other sources that help government agencies compile statistical numbers about particular topics. For students who are looking for academic information to include in their studies, the best way to attack this resource is by using the search bar at the top right corner of the homepage. For demonstration purposes on how to use the Statistical Abstract of the United States online resource, lets say that a student decided to search bridges. Although a very vague search, the outcome is a list of abstracts that pertain in some way bridges. Once again, let us demonstrate by selecting the abstract titled Bridge Inventory Total Deficient and Obsolete and by State. This will then take the user to the abstract explaining exactly what it is that title says it is. The abstract includes various amounts of information about the number of structurally deficient bridges and functionally obsolete bridges in a particular state in a given year. This particular abstract includes data from 1996 up until 2010, and also provides percentages of the total number of states bridges that fall into the categories mentioned above. Also, at the bottom of the abstract, it gives an explanation on how a bridge receives a classification of either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. This abstract is extremely relevant to the fields of civil engineering, whether it a student who is trying to become a structural engineer or a student who is trying to become a highway engineer. Both of these engineer students will be directly affected by the amount of these inefficient bridges because at some point in their career this system of bridges will need to be updated; and by studying these topics now these students will be able to excel in accomplishing that task. Tips: When performing a general search for abstracts on particular topics, students should be as descriptive as possible. A vague search will result in a lot more hits, which will create more hassle for the user searching through them. Students who have a better idea of what they are looking for are encouraged to use the links on the left hand side of the page. By using these links, a student will be able to navigate quicker to the topic that he or she is looking for.

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