Civil Engineering, MAT-ONE

Civil engineering, the profession of designing and executing structural works that serve the general public. The term was first used in the 18th century to distinguish the newly recognized profession from military engineering, until then preeminent.
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Civil Engineering Encyclopedia Articles By Title

materials recovery facility
materials recovery facility (MRF), solid-waste management plant that processes recyclable materials to sell to......
Maudslay, Henry
Henry Maudslay was a British engineer and inventor of the metal lathe and other devices. The son of a workman at......
mausoleum
mausoleum, large, sepulchral monument, typically made of stone, that is used to inter and enshrine the remains......
Maybach, Wilhelm
Wilhelm Maybach was a German engineer and industrialist who was the chief designer of the first Mercedes automobiles......
Maybeck, Bernard
Bernard Maybeck was an American architect whose work in California (from 1889) exhibits the versatility attainable......
McAdam, John Loudon
John Loudon McAdam was a Scottish inventor of the macadam road surface. In 1770 he went to New York City, entering......
McCoy, Elijah
Elijah McCoy was a Canadian-American inventor of a device to lubricate steam engines. McCoy’s inventions were considered......
McKim, Charles Follen
Charles Follen McKim was an American architect who was of primary importance in the American Neoclassical revival.......
mechanical engineering
mechanical engineering, the branch of engineering concerned with the design, manufacture, installation, and operation......
mechanical system
mechanical system, Any building service using machines. They include plumbing, elevators, escalators, and heating......
megalith
megalith, huge, often undressed stone used in various types of Neolithic (New Stone Age) and Early Bronze Age monuments.......
megaron
megaron, in ancient Greece and the Middle East, architectural form consisting of an open porch, a vestibule, and......
Meigs, Montgomery C
Montgomery C. Meigs was a U.S. engineer and architect, who, as quartermaster general of the Union Army during the......
membrane structure
membrane structure, Structure with a thin, flexible surface (membrane) that carries loads primarily through tensile......
Menai Bridge
Menai Bridge, suspension bridge spanning the Menai Strait from Bangor, Wales, to the Isle of Anglesey, a distance......
Mendelsohn, Erich
Erich Mendelsohn was a German architect known initially for his Einstein Tower in Potsdam, a notable example of......
Menindee Lakes
Menindee Lakes, series of reservoirs, part of the Darling River Conservation Scheme, western New South Wales, Australia,......
Merchandise Mart
Merchandise Mart, landmark building in downtown Chicago, one of the largest commercial buildings in the world and......
mercury lamp
mercury lamp, electric discharge lamp (q.v.) in which light is emitted by electrically excited atoms of vapourized...
Merritt Parkway
Merritt Parkway, innovative and widely copied American automobile highway built between Greenwich and Stratford,......
MI6/SIS Building
MI6/SIS Building, headquarters building of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) in London. It was designed......
Michelangelo
Michelangelo was an Italian Renaissance sculptor, painter, architect, and poet who exerted an unparalleled influence......
microgeneration
microgeneration, small-scale generation of heat and power designed to suit the needs of communities, businesses,......
microwave oven
microwave oven, appliance that cooks food by means of high-frequency electromagnetic waves called microwaves. A......
Midgley, Thomas, Jr.
Thomas Midgley, Jr. was an American engineer and chemist who discovered the effectiveness of tetraethyl lead as......
Mies van der Rohe, Ludwig
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was a German-born American architect whose rectilinear forms, crafted in elegant simplicity,......
military bridge
military bridge, temporary bridge that must usually be constructed in haste by military engineers, from available......
military engineering
military engineering, the art and practice of designing and building military works and of building and maintaining......
Millennium Dome
Millennium Dome, massive construction project and tourist attraction in Greenwich, London, England. It was initiated......
Miller, Oskar von
Oskar von Miller was an electrical engineer who fostered the electric-power industry in Germany and founded the......
Missouri Pacific Railroad Company
Missouri Pacific Railroad Company, former American railroad founded to build the first rail line west of the Mississippi......
Mitchell, Sir Thomas Livingstone
Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell was the surveyor general of New South Wales who explored and surveyed widely in......
Mittelland Canal
Mittelland Canal, German waterway begun in 1905 and completed in 1938. It extends from the Dortmund-Ems Canal east......
moat
moat, a depression surrounding a castle, city wall, or other fortification, usually but not always filled with......
Modane train crash of 1917
Modane train crash of 1917, train derailment in Modane, France, on Dec. 12, 1917, that killed more than 500 French......
Modjeski, Ralph
Ralph Modjeski was a Polish-born American bridge designer and builder, outstanding for the number, variety, and......
module
module, in architecture, an arbitrary unit adopted to regulate the dimensions, proportions, or construction of......
Moffat, David Halliday
David Halliday Moffat was an American capitalist and railway promoter after whom the Moffat Tunnel in Colorado......
monastery
monastery, local community or residence of a religious order, particularly an order of monks. See abbey;...
monorail
monorail, railway that runs on a single rail. This rail may be located either above or beneath the railway cars.......
Mont Blanc Tunnel
Mont Blanc Tunnel, major Alpine automotive tunnel connecting France and Italy. It is 11.7 km (7.3 miles) long and......
Monticello
Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, located in south-central Virginia, U.S., about 2 miles (3 km) southeast......
Montt, Pedro
Pedro Montt was a Chilean president (1906–10), whose conservative government furthered railroad and manufacturing......
Moore, Gordon
Gordon Moore was an American engineer and cofounder, with Robert Noyce, of Intel Corporation. Moore studied chemistry......
Morgan, J.P.
J.P. Morgan was an American financier and industrial organizer, one of the world’s foremost financial figures during......
mortar
mortar, in technology, material used in building construction to bond brick, stone, tile, or concrete blocks into......
mortuary temple
mortuary temple, in ancient Egypt, place of worship of a deceased king and the depository for food and objects......
Moscow Canal
Moscow Canal, ship waterway linking Moscow to the Volga River at Ivankovo, north of Moscow. Built between 1932......
Moses, Robert
Robert Moses was a U.S. state and municipal official whose career in public works planning resulted in a virtual......
motel
motel, originally a hotel designed for persons travelling by automobile, with convenient parking space provided.......
motor generator
motor generator, an electric motor coupled to an electric generator to convert electric power from one from to......
moucharaby
moucharaby, in Islamic or Islamic-influenced architecture, an oriel, or projecting second-story window of latticework.......
Mount Cenis Tunnel
Mount Cenis Tunnel, rail tunnel from Modane, France, to Bardonècchia, Italy, the first great Alpine tunnel to be......
movable bridge
movable bridge, any of several types of bridges that can move to accommodate the passage of boats and ships. Movable......
Mulholland, William
William Mulholland was a self-trained Irish-born American civil engineer who is best known for having created an......
mullion
mullion, in architecture, a slender vertical division between adjacent lights or subdivisions in a window or between......
Murdock, William
William Murdock was a Scottish inventor, the first to make extensive use of coal gas for illumination and a pioneer......
Murray, Matthew
Matthew Murray was an English engineer. With little formal education, Murray went to work for a flax spinner in......
Myddelton, Sir Hugh, 1st Baronet
Sir Hugh Myddelton, 1st Baronet was a member of the English Parliament (1603–28) and contractor of the New River......
Mylius-Erichsen, Ludwig
Ludwig Mylius-Erichsen was a Danish journalist and explorer who led two productive expeditions to Greenland. The......
Napier, Robert Napier, 1st Baron
Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier was a British field marshal who had a distinguished military and civil engineering......
narthex
narthex, long, narrow, enclosed porch, usually colonnaded or arcaded, crossing the entire width of a church at......
Nasser, Lake
Lake Nasser, reservoir on the Nile River, in Upper Egypt and northern Sudan. It was created by the impounding of......
Natchez Trace Parkway
Natchez Trace Parkway, scenic and historic roadway, extending 444 miles (715 km) through Mississippi, Alabama,......
national monument
national monument, in the United States, any of numerous areas reserved by act of Congress or presidential proclamation......
National Road
National Road, first federal highway in the United States and for several years the main route to what was then......
naumachia
naumachia, in ancient Rome, a mimic sea battle and the specially constructed basin in which such a battle sometimes......
nave
nave, central and principal part of a Christian church, extending from the entrance (the narthex) to the transepts......
necrobotics
necrobotics, use of dead organisms as robots to perform tasks. Spiders are repurposed for necrobotics because of......
Nervi, Pier Luigi
Pier Luigi Nervi was an Italian engineer and architect, internationally renowned for his technical ingenuity and......
New York Central Railroad Company
New York Central Railroad Company, one of the major American railroads that connected the East Coast with the interior.......
New York State Canal System
New York State Canal System, system of state-owned, state-operated waterways, 524 miles (843 km) in length, linking......
New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad Company
New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad Company, American railroad that began operations between Buffalo, N.Y.,......
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company, American railroad operating in southern New England and New......
Newcomen, Thomas
Thomas Newcomen was a British engineer and inventor of the atmospheric steam engine, a precursor of James Watt’s......
newel
newel, upright post rising at the foot of a stairway, at its landings, or at its top. These posts usually serve......
Nhue Giang River
Nhue Giang River, irrigation canal in northern Vietnam. The Nhue Giang River flows north-south for about 113 km......
niche
niche, in architecture, decorative recess set into a wall for the purpose of displaying a statue, vase, font, or......
Nicollet, Joseph Nicolas
Joseph Nicolas Nicollet was a French mathematician and explorer. Nicollet showed promise in mathematics and astronomy......
Nipkow, Paul Gottlieb
Paul Gottlieb Nipkow was a German engineer who discovered television’s scanning principle, in which the light intensities......
Nobel, Alfred
Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist, engineer, and industrialist who invented dynamite and other more powerful explosives......
Norfolk and Western Railway Company
Norfolk and Western Railway Company, former American railroad that originated as an eight-mile single-track line......
North Indian temple architecture
North Indian temple architecture, style of architecture produced throughout northern India and as far south as......
North Sea Canal
North Sea Canal, waterway in the Netherlands that extends in an east-west direction between Amsterdam and IJmuiden......
Northern Pacific Railway Company
Northern Pacific Railway Company, one of the northern transcontinental railroads of the United States, operating......
Nouvel, Jean
Jean Nouvel is a French architect who designed his buildings to “create a visual landscape” that fit their context—sometimes......
Noyce, Robert
Robert Noyce was an American engineer and co-inventor of the integrated circuit, a system of interconnected transistors......
nuclear engineering
nuclear engineering, the field of engineering that deals with the science and application of nuclear and radiation......
Nurek Dam
Nurek Dam, one of the world’s highest dams, located on the Vakhsh River in Tajikistan near the border with Afghanistan.......
obelisk
obelisk, tapered monolithic pillar, originally erected in pairs at the entrances of ancient Egyptian temples. The......
ocean fertilization
ocean fertilization, untested geoengineering technique designed to increase the uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2)......
Ochoa, Ellen
Ellen Ochoa is an American administrator and former astronaut who was the first Hispanic woman to travel into space......
OCR
OCR, scanning and comparison technique intended to identify printed text or numerical data. It avoids the need......
oculus
oculus, (Latin: “eye”), in architecture, any of several structural elements resembling an eye. A small window that......
Oder–Havel Canal
Oder–Havel Canal, German waterway northeast of Berlin, linking the Havel and Oder rivers. It is 52 mi (83 km) long,......
oeil-de-boeuf window
oeil-de-boeuf window, in architecture, a small circular or oval window, usually resembling a wheel, with glazing......
Ohain, Hans Joachim Pabst von
Hans Joachim Pabst von Ohain was a German designer of the first operational jet engine. After obtaining his doctorate......
oil burner
oil burner, heating device in which fuel oil is mixed with air under controlled conditions. In most burners oil......
One World Trade Center
One World Trade Center (One WTC), skyscraper in New York, New York, that is the centerpiece of reconstruction at......

Civil Engineering Encyclopedia Articles By Title