I am taking engineering 101 this semester so I know that the definition of engineering encompasses many different sections like chemical, structural and electrical, applying science to actual use. From this course specifically we have been discussing civil engineering, applying science and math to buildings and waterways and or systems. It has been really interesting to see the structures and systems from the past, and discussing how sophisticated some of them were, still people question how, without modern day tools, these structures were built and still standing. Civil engineering has obviously been the theme for the majority of our modules so far. Really the only module that did not involve engineering was the module on Thanksgiving. Discussing the significance of the size and design of the bridges especially for the era that they were built in. The same goes for the module on the Aztecs and the incredible structures they were capable of building with no present day architectural tools. Now moving to talking about the sophisticated irrigation systems that the Hohokam built, still encompassing civil engineering.

Defining engineering is kind of difficult because it can have multiple definitions based on it’s usage. If I were to define based on what we have learned from this class I would define it as developing and designing of structures using math and sciences. Even on of the first modules we started working on was the first thanksgiving. When settlers came to the land they had to engineer it for them to be able to survive. Even it wasn’t engineering structures they still had to be design the land to be sufficient. Before this class if I was to think of engineering I would describe it as building skyscrapers and bridges. There’s is tons of land structures that it takes engineering to design. Some of these things can be crops and how they are planted along the land. Also, how water can be used efficiently on the land to be resourceful. To be able to design such features it takes lots of collaboration of ideas and not just one person can do this by them-self it really is a team effort between people.

I believed that this class was going to be related to the engineering process of how very old structures were built. It started out that way with the module about the Brooklyn bridge and San Francisco bridge. Learning the obstacles that they ran into and had to figure out ways around them. Also how the era that they were built in played a big influence on the materials that were used. What i didn’t think about was how social engineering was such a large influence on these structures. Engineering is all about inventing and improving ideas, whether it be on structures, machines or literally everything in the world.  I had never thought about how water is an engineering nightmare. Just figuring out how to get it to everybody that needs it, but also figuring out how to share it as fairly as possible while trying to follow the laws that have been put in place.