When he was a senior in high school, Marc Edwards was sure he wanted to be a veterinarian. But after he spent a summer working with pets and getting bitten, he realized that “vets end up treating the owners more than the animals.” So he switched to civil engineering. Edwards is now a professor at Virginia Tech.

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Filed under: Civil, Environmental, Explore Engineering | Comments Off on Class Acts: The Water Guy

Tags: Civil Engineering, environmental engineering

When Marcus Ashford was studying mechanical engineering at Louisiana State University, there wasn’t a single black faculty member in the department. Now, as an assistant professor at the University of Alabama, he hopes to inspire change. “A lot of kids don’t see themselves in certain positions because they’ve never seen anyone like them doing it,” he says. “We are our own best recruiters. If the work that we do is exciting enough, and you can get people to see that, we’ll draw them in.”

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Filed under: Environmental, Explore Engineering, Mechanical | Comments Off on Class Acts: Driving Force

Tags: Environmental, Mechanical

Coming into Virginia Tech’s engineering program, Angela Walker knew that as a woman, she would be in the minority. That’s why she chose to live in Hypatia, an all-female engineering community, her first two years. “Nothing can replace the ability to walk down the hallway and get help on homework,” says Walker, now a junior majoring in mechanical engineering. “If it weren’t for the network of people you meet through this program, many girls might feel intimidated to the point that they decide to drop out of engineering,” she says. “We empower each other.”

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Filed under: Aerospace, Agricultural, Architectural, Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Environmental, Explore Engineering, Industrial / Manufacturing, Materials, Mechanical, Mining, Nuclear, Ocean, Transportation | Comments Off on Girl Power

Tags: Programs for Girls, Women in engineering

A jaw-dropping new building will put a whole new spin on architectural engineering.

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Filed under: Architectural, Civil, Environmental | Comments Off on High Ambitions

Tags: Architectural, Civil, Green Technology, Technology

Don’t be evil” is Google’s informal corporate motto. Far from being evil, Google is trying to use its vast wealth to do good. Since becoming a public company in 2004, it has set aside 1 percent of its equity and profits — around $1 billion — to fund good causes and invest in promising technologies.

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Filed under: Computer, Environmental, Explore Engineering | Comments Off on Giving Back: Google Does Good

Tags: Computer, Environmental, Green Technology, renewable energy