Civil and Structural Engineering

“Civil engineers and structural engineers both help shape the world and improve people’s lives by designing, creating and maintaining the buildings and large structures that we need. They build all sorts of things so we can get around and live our lives safely – from roads, bridges and tunnels to railways, hospitals and airports.” Tomorrow’s Engineers: From Idea to Career

This resource from Dream Big demonstrates how engineers create and map a three-dimensional landscape using a light detection and ranging (lidar) laser measuring device. The resource explains how you can set up a laser measure to create a simple map, and investigate how the detail of the map changes when the equipment settings are changed.

This activity asks students to become road planners, looking at the flow of traffic on a motorway and planning how traffic can change from one road to another, safely. This short activity gives students an opportunity to understand how engineers can make our roads safer through careful planning.

Quality AssuredCategory:Design and technologyPublisher:Siemens

This activity from Siemens challenges students to design a mountain hut that reduces heat loss.

They investigate the process of heat loss by the design, construction and use of physical models, considering the properties of different materials and their suitability for the purpose of constructing a model.

This presentation is a great introduction to civil engineers for students. It explains what civil engineering is, the types of projects civil engineers are involved in and the difference that civil engineering makes to the world around us.

This resource supports students to build a structure that with withstand a test earthquake. The earthquake is created by placing the structure on an earthquake tester – instructions to make the earthquake tester are provided.

This resource is a short design and build activity that asks students to consider the width to height ratio of a tower. Students consider an environment where land is at a premium and having a tower with a small base is advantageous. Students must build their own tower, reaching to the skies – but not at the expense of structural integrity.

This activity asks students to look at the way we build structures to withstand the effects of high wind and more specifically, hurricanes. Students are directed to design and build a tower that can withstand the force created by a desktop fan.

Watch this video and see how Civil Engineers are changing the world. For more information visit https://www.ice.org.uk/superheroes

Quality AssuredCategory:CareersPublisher:Neon

Engineers like Philippa use technology to help keep us safe and well-informed as we travel around the country’s roads. They’re installing cameras that measure traffic speed and watch out for accidents and hazards, or information boards that let you know when there’s a jam. They’re also planning the road network and improving the road surface you travel on.