Environmental engineering
Environmental engineering is the branch of engineering that is
concerned with protecting people from the effects of adverse
environmental effects, such as pollution, as well as improving
environmental quality. Environmental engineers work to improve
recycling, waste disposal, public health, and water and air pollution
control, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The practice of environmental engineering dates back to the dawn of
civilization. Ever since groups of people began living in semi-
permanent settlements, they have had to deal with the challenges of
providing clean water and disposing of solid waste and sewage. With
the growth of cities and the advent of large-scale farming and
manufacturing, people have also had to worry about air quality and soil
contamination.
Antikythera Mechanism
For over 2000 years a shipwreck lay off the coast of the Greek island
of Antikythera, its hidden treasures slowly corroded by the
Mediterranean. It wasn’t until 1900 that sponge divers happened upon
the loot, and found therein a perplexing device of remarkable
engineering - though the divers had no idea how truly remarkable it
was at the time. The device sat in a museum for fifty years before
historians began to take a serious look at it.
Known as the Antikythera mechanism and called a “clockwork
computer,” this small bronze instrument is unique because it precedes
any machine of comparable complexity by more than a millennium.