2. Green jobs in Engineering
Environmental Engineers
Environmental engineering is a broad umbrella category for engineers who use
soil science, chemistry, biology and the principles of engineering to develop
solutions for environmental problems. They don’t even necessarily have degrees
in environmental engineering; many job postings for environmental engineers
include civil or even geotechnical engineering degrees as prerequisites.
Environmental Engineers may be assigned to tackle a wide variety of problems;
from sewage and wastewater treatment to beach erosion, recycling and even
public health. You can find environmental engineering jobs in every state and,
according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the field will see 22% growth
between 2010 and 2020 with median salaries around $78,740.
Sample Job & Description:
3. Environmental Engineer
Key Responsibilities:
•Provides corporate oversight of programs including allocation of corporate
resources, resolving issues at the corporate level, and monitoring client services
and client satisfaction.
•Provide agency interpretations/clarification on environmental regulations and
requirements.
•Assemble data for environmental compliance reports, general enforcement
issues, metrics and performance tracking, and assure that reports are submitted in
a timely manner to meet required deadlines.
•Provide assistance to ensure compliance with agreed orders and other legal
documents.
•Maintain strong relationship with federal, state and local regulators.
•Serve as environmental consultant providing general environmental expertise on
air, water and waste issues, emissions and release calculations, and pollution
prevention strategies for various expense and capital projects.
•Ability to oversee and manage employees.
Professional Qualifications:
•Master’s degree or equivalent combination of education & experience in areas
of environmental science, business, information technology, public policy,
engineering, economics, social sciences, physical sciences or related disciplines.
•18+ years of relevant work experience.
•Experience in air, water, and waste regulations and a demonstrated ability in
understanding, interpreting, and communicating complicated environmental laws
and regulations to Operations, Technical and Maintenance personnel.
•Ability to solve complex problems both long and short term impacts dealing
with environmental issues.
•Ability to effectively communicate both verbally and written.
•Able to handle multiple tasks concurrently and meet deadlines.
•Professional certifications and credentials in environmental and engineering
related disciplines such as Professional Engineer, Qualified Environmental
Professional, Board Certified Environmental Engineer, Registered Environmental
Auditor, Site Remediation Professional, and/or Wastewater Treatment License.
4. Biofuel Engineering
This emerging niche in industry pulls from Mechanical and Chemical
Engineering, principally. Unlike other green engineering disciplines, once they
become commercially viable, biofuels may fundamentally change our way of
life. They may fuel cars, heat homes, and even power jets.
Sample Job & Description:
Plant Engineer – Biofuels
B.S. Engineering Degree (ME or ChemE) or even possibly a non-degreed
candidate; 3+ years of experience out of a background such as chemicals,
petrochemicals, refining, ethanol, corn-milling, etc. This person must have
experience overseeing construction of projects from $100K up to $500K.
Personality-wise, this person will need to be a very effective communicator.
This person will be based near Des Moines (or near Waterloo) at a 50-person
ethanol production facility and these positions are newly created openings. The
primary focus of this job will be upgrading and retrofitting of ethanol production
processes and equipment. The main equipment includes distillation towers,
fermentation units, dryers, evaporators, pumps, valves, heat exchangers, etc. The
5. typical project size will range from $50K to $500K. This person will handle all
phases of the project, from design through installation and will be primarily
focused on installation. If the workload is too great or the project size is too
large, contracting firms may be brought on-board, which this person will oversee.
The parent company is a multi-billion dollar chemical, oil and gas manufacturer.
Travel for this position may be up to 20%, mostly local to other company
facilities in the region.
Salary Range: $85,000 to $100,000/yr. base salary
6.
7. Engineering Ethics
General principles[edit]
“
Engineers, in the fulfillment of
their professional duties,
shall hold paramount the
safety, health, and welfare of
the public ”
— National Society of Professional Engineers, [18]
“
A practitioner shall, regard
the practitioner's duty to
public welfare as paramount." ”
— Professional Engineers Ontario, [19]
Codes of engineering ethics identify a specific precedence with respect to the engineer's
consideration for the public, clients, employers, and the profession.
Many engineering professional societies have prepared codes of ethics. Some date to the early
decades of the twentieth century.[13]
These have been incorporated to a greater or lesser
degree into the regulatory laws of several jurisdictions. While these statements of general
principles served as a guide, engineers still require sound judgment to interpret how the code
would apply to specific circumstances.
The general principles of the codes of ethics are largely similar across the various engineering
societies and chartering authorities of the world,[20]
which further extend the code and publish
specific guidance.[21]
The following is an example from the American Society of Civil
Engineers:[22]
1. Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public and shall
strive to comply with the principles of sustainable development in the performance of
their professional duties.[22]
2. Engineers shall perform services only in areas of their competence.[22]
3. Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner.[22]
4. Engineers shall act in professional matters for each employer or client as faithful
agents or trustees, and shall avoid conflicts of interest.[22]
5. Engineers shall build their professional reputation on the merit of their services and
shall not compete unfairly with others.
6. Engineers shall act in such a manner as to uphold and enhance the honor, integrity,
and dignity of the engineering profession and shall act with zero-tolerance for bribery,
fraud, and corruption.[22]
7. Engineers shall continue their professional development throughout their careers, and
shall provide opportunities for the professional development of those engineers under
their supervision
8.
9. The importance of English for
engineering students
For non-native English users, English is very important because it is widely spoken
all around the world. Knowing English allows people to enjoy their life and work no
matter where they are. For engineering students whose mother tongue is not English,
mastering English is even more important, not only for their academic life but also
for their prospective career.
In order to master the engineering knowledge and skills better, engineering students
should own the English language competence. Most of the scientific papers or
journals in the world are written in English. Most of the engineering graphs are also
marked in English. Moreover, most engineering professors in various universities
are also conducting their lectures in English. Hence, engineering students should at
least master the basic English ability to deal with the countless English lectures,
tutorials, labs, projects and papers. Finally, they have to submit their important
theses, still in English.
When engineering students graduate from the college and become real engineers,
they will find that English appears even more crucial than it used to be. Engineers
usually work in groups since their task can seldom be solved by an individual. The
property of their work determines that being an engineer needs to cooperate and
communicate with different people from different part of the world. For non-native
English speakers, unfortunately, most of the engineers speak English as the first
language or the working language. In order to understand and coordinate with their
colleagues and accomplish their projects fluently, engineers have to speak good
English.
