CE 212N - Introduction to Environmental Engineering

Vocabulary terms based on Chapter 1 of the CE 212N Environmental Engineering course, covering history, public health, ecology, and ethics.

Environment

The physical and biotic habitat which surrounds us which must be cared; that which we can observe, hear, touch, smell, and taste.

Natural Science

A field that includes diverse disciplines such as biology, chemistry, geology, physics, and environmental science.

Environmental Science

In its broadest sense, a field that encompasses all the fields of natural science.

Quantitative Environmental Science

An organized collection of mathematical theories used to describe and explore environmental relationships.

Engineering

A profession that applies science and mathematics to make the properties of matter and sources of energy useful in structures, machines, products, systems, and processes.

Environmental Engineering

The application of science and engineering knowledge and concepts to care for and/or restore our natural environment and/or solve environmental problems.

Civil Engineering

A professional engineering discipline that deals with the analysis, design, construction, and maintenance of infrastructural facilities such as buildings, bridges, dams, roads, etc.

John Smeaton

The first self-proclaimed Civil Engineer who coined the term in $1782$ to distinguish engineers working on civilian projects from military ones.

U.S. Military Academy at West Point

The institution where the first formal university engineering curriculum in the United States was established in $1802$.

Norwich University

The institution where the first non-military engineering course was offered in $1821$ (formerly named American Literary, Scientific, and Military Academy).

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

The institution that conferred the first civil engineering degree in $1835$.

American Society of Civil Engineers

A professional organization founded in $1852$.

Roman aqueducts

Early water supply systems designed by civil engineers to control environmental pollution and protect public health.

Croton Aqueduct

An engineering marvel started in $1835$ and completed in $1841$ that brought clear water to Manhattan Island.

Aluminum sulfate (alum)

A chemical used in water treatment to clarify water by helping to remove particles that clogged filters.

Combined sewers

Sewer systems that converged stormwater and sanitary waste, which persisted in some major U.S. cities until the $1980s$ and led to pollution during heavy rains.

Clean Water Act

A major piece of U.S. water pollution control legislation passed in $1972$.

Great Sanitary Awakening

A period in the $1850s$ led by public health advocates like Sir Edwin Chadwick and Ludwig Semmelweiss where effective sanitary measures began to evolve.

John Snow

A researcher whose $1849$ study identified the source of a cholera epidemic as a contaminated public water pump, helping to end the $1854$ Broad Street outbreak.

Ecology

The science that defines ecosystems as interdependent populations of organisms interacting with their physical and chemical environment.

Homeostasis

A self-regulating or negative feedback mechanism that helps populations in an ecosystem maintain a dynamic steady state.

Homeorhesis

Positive feedback mechanisms that contribute to the fluctuations of populations within an ecosystem.

Environmental Ethic

A focus on human attitudes toward other living beings, the environment, and each other, questioning the origins of these attitudes.

NIMBY Phenomenon

An acronym for "Not In My Back Yard," representing local opposition to undesirable facilities.

LULUs

An acronym for "Locally Unwanted Land Uses," which refers to undesirable facilities that often drive environmental decisions through public sentiment.