The Burj Khalifa

By: Nash Roberts

      Standing at 2,722 feet tall it might be more appropriate to measure the Burj Khalifa in miles rather than feet. Completed in December of 2009 it is currently the worlds tallest man made structure located in the center the booming oil metropolis that is Dubai.
      The final build cost totaled over $1.5 billion US dollars. Deigned by architect Adrian Smith under the close watch of structural engineer, Bill Baker. Baker earned his civil engineering degree from The University of Missouri and his graduates from The University of Illinois, His other notable projects include Trump Tower and The Renaissance Center in Detroit.
       The Burj owns more that a few world records such as, highest inhabited floor, tallest observation deck, tallest free standing structure and elevator with the longest travel distance. All of these feats would not be possible without the best civil and structural engineers in the world which is what i aspire to be and after reading about the back story of some of these engineers who graduated from similar colleges to Michigan state university it gives me hope that one i might have a chance to work on a building that is over a half a mile tall.


Citations:
    "Facts & Figures." Facts & Figures | Burj Khalifa. Burj Khalifa, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2017.
    
    http://scoopempire.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/burj-khalifa-world_s-tallest-building8.jpg

Duge Bridge

By: Xinxin Xiao

     

    The Duge bridge (Beipanjiang Bridge) is in Liupanshui, China. This bridge is raised 564 metres above the Beipan River in mountainous southwest China, making it the highest bridge ever built. Also, the Duke Bridge is designed by a team of Chinese engineers, the bridge has a 1,341-metre span that carries four lanes of traffic over the Beipan River. The Duge Bridge is connected Guangzhou and Yunnan, this is made the expected to reduce journey time between the cities of Liupanshui and Xuianwei from five hours to just two.

Duge Bridge
http://www.dailymail.co.uk

     I have never been to Duge bridge, because I am still in America when it was open to public. But I will visit there during the summer vacation. My hometown is Hunan, China, thiere is very close to Guangzhou. During the summer vacation, my parents always drive to somewhere. In this reason, they are decided to go to Guangzhou to visit the Duge bridge. And then go through the bridge to Yunnan.

     The Duge Bridge is designed by Chinese engineer, it is also encouraged me to study hard to work for my country. And the Duge Bridge also told me that engineers made this world getting better and better.

 Works Cited

Frearson, Amy "World's Highest Bridge Opens to Traffic in Southwest China" dezeen.com Dec 30,  2016 Web. Feb 26, 2017

Switching it Up

By: Cameron B.

      If you have read my articles before, you know that I was all in on civil engineering. I really thought it would be right for me. I've gone through my first semester and a quarter and am now figuring out that maybe civil engineering isn't exactly right for me. Right now I am in the process of switching my major, researching other careers that interest me. I am now down to two topics: Accounting or Supply Chain Management. These had always been included as backup plans, so they are not entirely new, but originally weren't really on my mind. It is tough to switch my major, considering I am now about a semester behind with the required classes that I need to take. In the end, one of those two career choices should be right for me, I am glad that I am realizing this now, because if it were to happen next year, then I would be even further behind. As of right now, I am leaning towards accounting, and if I were o choose that I would become a CPA, or a certified public accountant. This would make me more marketable companies, but I would be required to pass four tests that cover four different categories. If I pass all four, I would then become a CPA. Deciding between the four categories for a concentration in the accounting major would be difficult since I haven't taken any of the classes yet, but I would say at the top of my list right now is a tax accountant. A tax accountant does exactly what it sounds like, does taxes for individuals or large companies depending where you work and how big the company you work for is. Some tax accountants work by themselves, doing family and family friends' taxes too, but I would like to work for a company. Again, I really thought engineering was for me, but going through some of the classes has really changed my mind on my career choice. This is common for a lot of students, and I am glad I am doing this in my Freshman year and not my Senior year.

Prompt 1

Cameron B.
     
      One preconception that I listed was that engineers use a large amount of math on a daily basis. I consulted my Engineering 101 textbook to read the descriptions of each engineering degree offered here at MSU. Most of the descriptions did not use the word math in them, which was very shocking to me. With all of the required math courses engineers are required to take, I thought almost every description would involve the word math. Do engineers really use all of the math they are required to learn? No, but they will use some of the fundamentals they learn in these math courses. Trigonometry is a big one for Civil engineering, and I like trigonometry well enough that I feel I work well with it.
Another preconception that I listed was that engineers are nerdy and anti-social. The textbook really helped me understand why this is completely inaccurate for engineers. In the class that I took that required this textbook, we were told that being an engineer involved being vocal in groups and working together as a team, which the textbook described as one of the basic concepts all engineers must know and do well. If you cant communicate your ideas to your boss in a job or your co-workers, then you are not a very good engineer. When visiting with engineers who worked with my dad, all of them communicated to each other well and got the tasks provide to them done as a team, which really opened my eyes as to how engineers really work. I used to think engineers were just very smart people who got what they needed done by themselves, but the textbook and my own experiences showed me different.
      The last preconception I came up with was that engineers wear hard-hats and look and design construction plans. This is true for a small portion of construction engineers, but there are so many more fields of engineering. The textbook listed 9 different engineering programs, and construction engineering was not one of them. With a wide variety of engineers, I don't know how this became a preconception but it has become one. If I were to state a specific form of engineering, then the answer would probably be different. So why do people think of engineers as men who wear hard-hats and look at construction plans? I don't know that answer, and the book didn't give a specific answer either.
      Overall, the book was a helpful resource to finding out the truth behind these preconceptions. It answered some specific questions that I had, yet left some unanswered. We don't always need to know the answers to everything, and the book did a good job of leaving some questions unanswered.

The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon’s Glass-bottom Bridge

By: Xinxin Xiao

        

The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon’s Glass-bottom Bridge is the longest and tallest bridge in this world, it is in Zhangjiajie, Hunan, China. It is 430 meters (1,410 feet) long and 6 meters (20 feet) wide, hovering over a 300-meter (984-foot) vertical drop, and it has been constructed across a deep canyon, glass panels are set into its walkway, to give visitors vertigo-including views and photo opportunities of the canyon below.  In addition, the footbridge was designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan, who is also behind Expo 2010 Shanghai's Israel Pavilion. Dotan says the bridge will serve as a runway for fashion shows and be able to hold up to 800 people at once.

I am from Hunan, China. My hometown is very close to Zhangjiajie. During the vacation, my families will drive to Zhangjiajie. In this reason, they visitied the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon’s Glass-bottom Bridge last year, and told me that bridge is amazing, the glass bottom can make you feel like you are suspended in the air. And I think it must be a very unforgettable experience.

When people talking about civil engineering, most of them will come up with the viaducts, buildings and highways. But don’t forget, civil engineering also can make the amazing artworks like The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon’s Glass-bottom Bridge. It could make our life become more convenient, it is also can make our life become more beautiful.

Citations:

CNN staff “World's longest and highest glass-bottom bridge to open in China” cnn.com, May 19, 2015 Web. Feb 18, 2017

Mairs, Jessica “World’s tallest and Longest Glass Bridge Opens in China” deseen.com, Aug 25, 2016 Web, Feb 18 2017

The Mackinac Bridge

By: Nash R.
   
             The Mackinaw Bridge was first conceptualized in 1889 after the completion of the Brooklyn bridge the year before, and after half a century and countless hurdles Michigan's two peninsulas were connected. At the time of its completion it was the longest suspension bridge at 5 miles, today it is still considered a superstructure. Designed by David B. Steinman the Mighty Mac took just over 3 years and almost $100 million to build.

             My personal connection with the Mackinac bridge goes back to elementary school when my family would drive to the UP every summer and the best part of the commute was always crossing the bridge. During grade school the summer trips turned into winter trips and crossing the bridge became more dangerous. Still I was amazed at the rigidity and flexibility the bridge showed.

             As for the bridge itself, well it is still a modern marvel. In 1999 the Big Mac was named as the biggest civil engineering accomplishment of the century for the state of Michigan. The design of the bridge was directly influenced by the failure of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Engineer David B. Steinman recommended deeper trusses to decrease wind resistance and increase stiffness. When Steinman was appointed as the head engineer he incorporated his theories and when the bridge was completed it was the first long span suspension bridge with features like, a porous deck to increase aerodynamics.

            The world is constantly improving, but if a structure is built right it will stand the test of time and these changes. The Mackinac Bridge is a perfect example of this as it is still one of the greatest bridges in america today. In the future I can only hope to work on a project half this size.

The Mackinac Bridge: http://www.mackinacbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DI-02213-0042-slideshow.jpg

        Citations:

• Watanabe, Kenji. "Mackinac Bridge." Mackinac Bridge | ASCE. ASCE, 2010. Web. 30 Jan. 2017.
• "History of the Bridge, Mackinac Bridge." Mackinac Bridge Authority. MDOT, 2017. Web. 30 Jan. 2017.

Engineering in Society

By: Cameron B.

            Engineering is very well known in society, but most people don't understand the huge impact that engineers make on the public. Almost anything made or manufactures had to be engineered. From roads and bridges to t-shirts and gaming devices, engineers make life easier and more enjoyable. The laptop, computer, or cell phone you are reading this on, was engineered to make your life easier and more enjoyable. Also, that bridge you drove over today, was engineered to get you where you wanted to go safely and in less time. Engineers are very much underrated, and by that I mean they aren't always given the respect or credit they deserve. They work hard everyday to make the public have an easier life, but not everyone thanks them or gives them credit for it. My point is people really take engineers for granted, and without some of the things engineers have made possible, life would be much tougher and much less enjoyable. That's exactly one of the reasons I would like to become an engineer, I get the opportunity to help out others without always being recognized. It feels good to help so many people out, even if you are not recognized. You know deep down that you have done well, and you have made yourself proud to show off the work that you have done and know that even if you never get thanked by anyone, that you did the best you could and made life easier for many people. I think this is one of the best parts of being an engineer.