Next week marks National Engineers Week. Did you know that the celebratory week is the same as George Washington’s actual birthday? The National Society of Professional Engineers because of his contributions to surveying.
This week-long event celebrates how engineers shape the world. It also provides a platform for the importance of math, science, and technical skills. The engineering community comes together with schools to provide educational programs. The programs include DiscoverE, Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, and Future City Competition.
ACA’s Role in Engineering
So let’s take a look at how the team at ACA. Our team of engineering resources is Civil Engineers. This is a broad scope engineering field. These engineers can work on bridges, wastewater plants, and land development planning. Our team focuses on the latter, subdivisions, and land development planning. Our role in the process is to prepare a plan for regulatory approval and construction. This includes coordinating with and/or managing other professional services. A project will include other services like soil testing, land surveying, building design, etc.
From there, the team will work to shape the land to meet the needs of the client. This includes integrating the information from other professional services. Plans are prepared using CAD software, which layout the features. These features show building locations, utilities, grading, and more. Paired with these plans are calculations and reports. The combination of reports and plans are submitted to local, state, and federal agencies for review and approval. Once approved, the client records the plans with the local government and can begin construction.
Skills of an ACA Engineer
The skills learned and employed by the staff at ACA are math and science. A large part of the role of the engineer is math. To design a site, an engineer must complete many calculations. These calculations can range from simple addition and subtraction to complex equations. These equations complete stormwater or erosion and sediment control designs, plans, and reports.
Additionally, engineers perform a lot of hydraulics, physics, soils, and other evaluations. These evaluations rely on education in the field of science. Engineers must incorporate results from other professionals into the design outcome. This requires an understanding of many different fields of science. Examples would be chemistry in soil evaluations to physics in retaining wall designs.
Finally, engineers must have a vast repertoire of technical knowledge and skills. As noted above, they must prepare a lot of reports throughout their career. Thus skills in reading and writing are as important as math and science, to an engineer. Additionally, engineers do a lot of fieldwork. This work can include materials testing, soil evaluations, and land surveying.
Who is ACA?
Started in 1992 and located in Chester County, PA ACA has grown to become a full-service engineering firm. Today, we merge professional services with practical knowledge for residential and commercial projects. No matter the scale, from installing a fence, to building a structure or developing land, you need permits. Because the approval process includes many permits and agencies, it can be a headache. Working with ACA’s full-service team saves you time, money, and headaches. Every step of the way, we are here to support you and educate you about the process. Here are some of the basic services we provide:
Construction Management | Civil Engineering | Environmental Permitting | Septic System Testing and Design | Land Surveying | Wetland Delineations and Mitigation
Please feel free to browse our website or if working on a project or need help, contact us at (610) 469-3830.