Science & Engineering Career Profiles

Stationary Engineers

Stationary engineers operate and maintain large equipment such as steam engines and generators.

Many factories and large buildings are powered by steam engines and generators. The energy from this equipment powers the heating and ventilation systems and may also provide electricity. Engineers start, monitor, and shut down engines and generators. They make sure equipment operates as safely and cheaply as possible. To make sure that the equipment is working within its limits, stationary engineers check meters, gauges, and computerized controls. If needed, they adjust the equipment.

Engineers also maintain and repair equipment. They lubricate parts and replace filters. They test boiler water and add chemicals to stop harmful deposits. In addition, engineers listen to the machinery for unusual sounds that indicate something is wrong. They also check safety devices. Engineers use hand and power tools when making repairs.

Stationary engineers keep records of breakdowns, repairs, fuel used, and other information about the equipment. In large buildings, stationary engineers may be in charge of all mechanical systems. They may use computers to monitor some of these systems. They may also supervise workers, such as assistant boiler engineers and boiler tenders. Some engineers do carpentry, plumbing, and electrical repairs. In a small building, there may be only one stationary engineer."

The following list of occupational tasks is specific to this career.

* Start and monitor equipment.
* Adjust meters, gauges, and other instruments to make sure the equipment is running safely and efficiently.
* Read computer data to check for problems before they happen.
* Inspect equipment and look for parts that need adjusting, lubricating, or repairing.
* Listen to equipment to help identify problems.
* Maintain and repair equipment using hand and power tools.
* Test water and add chemicals to prevent harmful deposits from building up.
* Keep log about equipment operation, maintenance, and repairs.
* May do carpentry, plumbing, and electrical repairs.

People in this career perform the following list of tasks, but the tasks are common to many occupations.

* Control machines and processes.
* Repair and maintain mechanical equipment.
* Inspect equipment, structures, or materials.
* Monitor events, materials, and surroundings.
* Handle and move objects.
* Perform activities that use the whole body.
* Get information needed to do the job.
* Identify objects, actions, and events.
* Process information.
* Repair and maintain electronic equipment.
* Evaluate information against standards.
* Analyze data or information.
* Make decisions and solve problems.

Engineering Technician

* Electrical and electronic engineering technicians make up 42 percent of all engineering technicians.
* Because the type and quality of training programs vary considerably, prospective students should carefully investigate training programs before enrolling.
* Opportunities will be best for individuals with an associate degree or extensive job training in engineering technology.

Engineering technicians use the principles and theories of science, engineering, and mathematics to solve technical problems in research and development, manufacturing, sales, construction, inspection, and maintenance. Their work is more limited in scope and more practically oriented than that of scientists and engineers. Many engineering technicians assist engineers and scientists, especially in research and development. Others work in quality control—inspecting products and processes, conducting tests, or collecting data. In manufacturing, they may assist in product design, development, or production.

Engineering technicians who work in research and development build or set up equipment, prepare and conduct experiments, collect data, calculate or record results, and help engineers or scientists in other ways, such as making prototype versions of newly designed equipment. They also assist in design work, often using computer-aided design (CAD) equipment.

Most engineering technicians specialize in certain areas, learning skills and working in the same disciplines as engineers. Occupational titles, therefore, tend to reflect those of engineers.

Aerospace engineering and operations technicians install, construct, maintain, and test systems used to test, launch, or track aircraft and space vehicles. They may calibrate test equipment and determine causes of equipment malfunctions. Using computer and communications systems, aerospace engineering and operations technicians often record and interpret test data.

Chemical engineering technicians usually are employed in industries producing pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and petroleum products, among others. They work in laboratories as well as processing plants. They help to develop new chemical products and processes, test processing equipment and instrumentation, gather data, and monitor quality.

Civil engineering technicians help civil engineers to plan and build highways, buildings, bridges, dams, wastewater treatment systems, and other structures, and to do related research. Some estimate construction costs and specify materials to be used, and some may even prepare drawings or perform land-surveying duties. Others may set up and monitor instruments used to study traffic conditions.

Electrical and electronics engineering technicians help to design, develop, test, and manufacture electrical and electronic equipment such as communication equipment, radar, industrial and medical measuring or control devices, navigational equipment, and computers. They may work in product evaluation and testing, using measuring and diagnostic devices to adjust, test, and repair equipment.

Electrical and electronic engineering technology also is applied to a wide variety of systems such as communication and process controls. Electromechanical engineering technicians combine fundamental principles of mechanical engineering technology with knowledge of electrical and electronic circuits to design, develop, test, and manufacture electrical and computer-controlled mechanical systems.

Environmental engineering technicians work closely with environmental engineers and scientists in developing methods and devices used in the prevention, control, or correction of environmental hazards. They inspect and maintain equipment affecting air pollution and recycling. Some inspect water and wastewater treatment systems to ensure that pollution control requirements are met.

Industrial engineering technicians study the efficient use of personnel, materials, and machines in factories, stores, repair shops, and offices. They prepare layouts of machinery and equipment, plan the flow of work, make statistical studies, and analyze production costs.

Mechanical engineering technicians help engineers to design, develop, test, and manufacture industrial machinery, consumer products, and other equipment. They may assist in product tests—by setting up instrumentation for auto crash tests, for example. They may make sketches and rough layouts, record data, make computations, analyze results, and write reports. When planning production, mechanical engineering technicians prepare layouts and drawings of the assembly process and of parts to be manufactured. They estimate labor costs, equipment life, and plant space. Some test and inspect machines and equipment or work with engineers to eliminate production problems.

Most engineering technicians work at least 40 hours a week in laboratories, offices, or manufacturing or industrial plants, or on construction sites. Some may be exposed to hazards from equipment, chemicals, or toxic materials.

Engineering technicians held 478,000 jobs in 2002. 204,000 of these were electrical and electronics engineering technicians

Environmental Scientists and Geoscientists

* Work at remote field sites is common.
* Federal, State, and local governments employ nearly one-half of all environmental scientists and geoscientists.
* A bachelor’s degree is adequate for a few entry-level jobs, but a master’s degree is usually the minimum educational requirement; a Ph.D. degree is required for most high-level research positions.
* Employment of geoscientists is expected to grow as fast as average, while environmental scientists and hydrologists will experience faster than average growth.

Environmental scientists and geoscientists use their knowledge of the physical makeup and history of the Earth to protect the environment; locate water, mineral, and energy resources; predict future geologic hazards; and offer advice on construction and land-use projects.

Environmental scientists conduct research to identify and abate or eliminate sources of pollutants that affect people, wildlife, and their environments. These workers analyze and report measurements and observations of air, water, soil, and other sources and make recommendations on how best to clean and preserve the environment. Understanding the issues involved in protecting the environment—degradation, conservation, recycling, and replenishment—is central to the work of environmental scientists, who often use their skills and knowledge to design and monitor waste disposal sites, preserve water supplies, and reclaim contaminated land and water to comply with Federal environmental regulations.

Many environmental scientists do work and have training that is similar to other physical or life scientists, but is applied to environmental areas. Many specialize in some specific area, such as environmental ecology and conservation, environmental chemistry, environmental biology, or fisheries science. Most environmental scientists are further classified by the specific activity they perform (although recent advances in the understanding of basic life processes within the ecosystem have blurred some traditional classifications). For example, environmental ecologists study the relationships between organisms and their environments and the effects of influences such as population size, pollutants, rainfall, temperature, and altitude. Utilizing their knowledge of various scientific disciplines, they may collect, study, and report data on air, food, soil, and water. Ecological modelers study ecosystems, the control of environmental pollution, and the management of resources. These environmental scientists may use mathematical modeling, systems analysis, thermodynamics, and computer techniques. Environmental chemists may study the toxicity of various chemicals—how those chemicals affect plants, animals, and people. Geochemists study the nature and distribution of chemical elements in ground water and Earth materials.

Some environmental scientists work in managerial positions, usually after spending some time performing research or learning about environmental laws and regulations. Many work as consultants to business firms or to government agencies, helping them comply with environmental policy, particularly with regard to ground-water contamination and flood control. Environmental scientists who determine policy may help identify how human behavior can be modified in the future to avoid such problems as ground-water contamination and depletion of the ozone layer.

Geoscientists study the composition, structure, and other physical aspects of the Earth. With the use of sophisticated instruments and by analyzing the composition of the earth and water, geoscientists study the Earth’s geologic past and present. Many geoscientists are involved in searching for oil and gas, while others work closely with environmental scientists in preserving and cleaning up the environment.

Geoscientists usually study, and are subsequently classified into, one of several closely related fields of geoscience. Geologists study the composition, processes, and history of the Earth. They try to find out how rocks were formed and what has happened to them since their formation. They also study the evolution of life by analyzing plant and animal fossils. Geophysicists use the principles of physics, mathematics, and chemistry to study not only the Earth’s surface, but also its internal composition; ground and surface waters; atmosphere; oceans; and magnetic, electrical, and gravitational forces.

Oceanographers use their knowledge of geology and geophysics, in addition to biology and chemistry, to study the world’s oceans and coastal waters. They study the motion and circulation of the ocean waters; the physical and chemical properties of the oceans; and how these properties affect coastal areas, climate, and weather. Oceanographers are further broken down according to their areas of expertise. For example, physical oceanographers study the ocean tides, waves, currents, temperatures, density, and salinity. They examine the interaction of various forms of energy, such as light, radar, sound, heat, and wind, with the sea, in addition to investigating the relationship between the sea, weather, and climate. Chemical oceanographers study the distribution of chemical compounds and chemical interactions that occur in the ocean and on the sea floor. They may investigate how pollution affects the chemistry of the ocean. Geological and geophysical oceanographers study the topographic features and the physical makeup of the ocean floor. Their knowledge can help companies find oil and gas off coastal waters.

Geoscientists can spend a large part of their time in the field, identifying and examining rocks, studying information collected by remote sensing instruments in satellites, conducting geological surveys, constructing field maps, and using instruments to measure the Earth’s gravity and magnetic field. For example, they often perform seismic studies, which involve bouncing energy waves off buried rock layers, to search for oil and gas or to understand the structure of subsurface rock layers. Seismic signals generated by an earthquake are used to determine the earthquake’s location and intensity. In laboratories, geologists and geophysicists examine the chemical and physical properties of specimens. They study fossil remains of animal and plant life or experiment with the flow of water and oil through rocks.

Numerous specialties that further differentiate the type of work geoscientists do fall under the two major disciplines of geology and geophysics. For example, petroleum geologists explore for oil and gas deposits by studying and mapping the subsurface of the ocean or land. They use sophisticated geophysical instrumentation and computers to interpret geological information. Engineering geologists apply geologic principles to the fields of civil and environmental engineering, offering advice on major construction projects and assisting in environmental remediation and natural hazard reduction projects. Mineralogists analyze and classify minerals and precious stones according to their composition and structure. They study the environment surrounding rocks in order to find new mineral resources. Paleontologists study fossils found in geological formations to trace the evolution of plant and animal life and the geologic history of the Earth. Stratigraphers examine the formation and layering of rocks to understand the environment in which they were formed. Volcanologists investigate volcanoes and volcanic phenomena to try to predict the potential for future eruptions and possible hazards to human health and welfare. Hydrologists study the quantity, distribution, circulation, and physical properties of underground and surface waters. They examine the form and intensity of precipitation, its rate of infiltration into the soil, its movement through the earth, and its return to the ocean and atmosphere. The work hydrologists do is particularly important in environmental preservation, remediation, and flood control.

Geophysicists specialize in areas such as geodesy, seismology, or magnetic geophysics. Geodesists study the Earth’s size, shape, gravitational field, tides, polar motion, and rotation. Seismologists interpret data from seismographs and other geophysical instruments to detect earthquakes and locate earthquake-related faults. Geomagnetists measure the Earth’s magnetic field and use measurements taken over the past few centuries to devise theoretical models that explain the Earth’s origin. Paleomagnetists interpret fossil magnetization in rocks and sediments from the continents and oceans to record the spreading of the sea floor, the wandering of the continents, and the many reversals of polarity that the Earth’s magnetic field has undergone through time. Other geophysicists study atmospheric sciences and space physics. (See the statements on atmospheric scientists, and physicists and astronomers)

Employment

Environmental scientists and geoscientists held about 101,000 jobs in 2002. Environmental scientists accounted for 65,000 of the total; geoscientists, 28,000; and hydrologists, 8,000. Many more individuals held environmental science and geoscience faculty positions in colleges and universities, but they are classified as college and university faculty. (See the statement on teachers—postsecondary elsewhere in the Handbook.)

About 47 percent of environmental scientists were employed in State and local governments, 14 percent in architectural, engineering and related services, 13 percent in management, scientific, and technical consulting services, and 9 percent in the Federal Government. About 1,900 were self-employed.

Among geoscientists, 30 percent were employed in architectural, engineering, and related services, and 15 percent worked for oil and gas extraction companies. In 2002, the Federal Government employed about 3,000 geoscientists, including geologists, geophysicists, and oceanographers, mostly within the U.S. Department of the Interior for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and within the U.S. Department of Defense. Another 3,400 worked for State agencies, such as State geological surveys and State departments of conservation. Nearly 3 percent of geoscientists were self-employed, most as consultants to industry or government.

Approximately 32 percent of hydrologists worked in the Federal Government in 2002, another 21 percent in architectural, engineering, and related services, 17 percent worked in management, scientific, and technical consulting services, and 16 percent for State governments.

Industrial Engineers, Including Health and Safety

Industrial engineers determine the most effective ways to use the basic factors of production—people, machines, materials, information, and energy—to make a product or to provide a service. They are the bridge between management goals and operational performance. They are more concerned with increasing productivity through the management of people, methods of business organization, and technology than are engineers in other specialties, who generally work more with products or processes. Although most industrial engineers work in manufacturing industries, they may also work in consulting services, healthcare, and communications.

To solve organizational, production, and related problems most efficiently, industrial engineers carefully study the product and its requirements, use mathematical methods such as operations research to meet those requirements, and design manufacturing and information systems. They develop management control systems to aid in financial planning and cost analysis and design production planning and control systems to coordinate activities and ensure product quality. They also design or improve systems for the physical distribution of goods and services. Industrial engineers determine which plant location has the best combination of raw materials availability, transportation facilities, and costs. Industrial engineers use computers for simulations and to control various activities and devices, such as assembly lines and robots. They also develop wage and salary administration systems and job evaluation programs. Many industrial engineers move into management positions because the work is closely related.

The work of health and safety engineers is similar to that of industrial engineers in that it deals with the entire production process. Health and safety engineers promote worksite or product safety and health by applying knowledge of industrial processes, as well as mechanical, chemical, and psychological principles. They must be able to anticipate, recognize, and evaluate hazardous conditions as well as develop hazard control methods. They also must be familiar with the application of health and safety regulations.

Employment

Industrial engineers, including health and safety, held about 194,000 jobs in 2002. Six in 10 of these jobs were in manufacturing industries, and an additional 1 in 10 worked in professional, scientific, and technical services firms, many of whom provide consulting services to manufacturing firms. Because their skills can be used in almost any type of organization, industrial engineers are more widely distributed among industries than are other engineers.

Marine Engineer

Marine engineers control the installation, operation and maintenance of machinery and equipment on ships and offshore structures. Marine engineers work in the engine rooms of cargo ships, dredges, offshore supply and drill vessels, floating production storage and offtake facilities, oil tankers, passenger ships and tugs. They need to be familiar with various types of diesel, steam and gas turbine engines.

Marine engineers may perform the following tasks:

* make sure that the main engines and associated machinery, electrical, refrigeration, airconditioning and cargo-handling equipment on ships are operating efficiently
* keep an eye on automatic data recording equipment and analyse data to make adjustments as required. In vessels without such equipment, manually record all necessary readings from machinery operation to make similar analysis and adjustments
* carry out regular maintenance of the main engine and also repair defective auxiliary equipment
* stand engine room watches at sea and in port
* make sure that the operations of the vessel do not create pollution
* maintain engine room stores and record usage of parts and equipment
* supervise major maintenance work while the ship is in port
* be involved with the operation of small craft such as river ferries and port authority vessels.

Mathematics

Mathematics is among the most fascinating of all intellectual disciplines, the purest of all art forms, and the most challenging of games. The study of mathematics is not only exciting, but important: mathematicians have an opportunity to make a lasting contribution to society by helping to solve problems in such diverse fields as medicine, management, economics. government, computer science, physics, psychology, engineering, and social science.

In this pamphlet we try to give you a flavor of some of the areas of mathematics in which there are many opportunities. At the end we provide a brief "road map" of mathematics.
A bachelor's degree in mathematics will prepare you for fascinating jobs in statistics, actuarial sciences, mathematical modeling, and cryptography; for teaching; as well as for graduate school leading to a research career in mathematics or statistics. A strong background in mathematics is also necessary for research in many areas of computer science, social science, and engineering.

As you read this pamphlet, look for several themes:

* Mathematics is often done in conjunction with another field: biology, physics, economics, or a host of others.
* Mathematical modeling is used to solve real problems in a variety of fields.
* Statistics is a growing field, particularly in those fields dealing with human behavior.
* Many topics in "pure math" have important applications in computer science.
* There is a national shortage of teachers in all the mathematical sciences (pure math, applied math, statistics, and computer science) at all levels, so any of these fields goes well with teaching and/or research.
* Mathematics is a field with a surprising variety of specialties which have different "feels" to them. You probably won't like all of them equally, any more than most musicians feel the same about rock and classical music, or most English majors like all authors and periods equally. So if you come across a math course that isn't your favorite, but there are others that you really like, it just means that you are getting to know math better and your taste is becoming more refined.