The Toll Roads is celebrating National Engineers Week (Feb. 16 – 22) by recognizing the tremendous impact engineers make in our communities. Founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) in 1951, Engineering week aims to ensure a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in engineering careers.
But what is engineering?
At its core, engineering uses scientific and mathematical principles to make things work. With six major branches and hundreds of subcategories under each division, engineering encompasses a wide variety of applications, including designing and improving infrastructure, machinery, vehicles, electronics and more.
Engineering has existed since ancient times, when humans devised inventions like the lever and wheel, built pyramids in Egypt and aqueducts in Italy. It was adopted as a formal academic discipline in the late 18th and early 19th centuries – with academies teaching civil and military engineering.
The earliest civil engineer known by name is Imhotep. As one of the officials of the Pharaoh, Djosèr, he probably designed and supervised the construction of the Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara in Egypt around 2630–2611 BC.
One of the main branches is civil engineering. Civil engineers oversee the design, construction and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage systems, pipelines, structural components of buildings and railways. Without them, we would not have The Toll Roads we have today!
Part of Engineering Week is Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (Girl Day). Girl Day is this Thursday, February 20, and is a time when volunteers, educators, and others act as role models, facilitate engineering activities, and show girls how engineers change our world. You can learn how to get involved in Girl Day at https://discovere.org/programs/girl-day/.
Did you know? In 1876, Elizabeth Bragg became the first woman in the United States to receive a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, by the University of California, Berkeley.
To learn more about NSPE 2025 National Engineers Week, visit: https://www.nspe.org/resources/partners-and-state-societies/engineers-week.
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