From infrastructure to recycling, energy to sustainability, engineers are at the core of solving all the problems of tomorrow and the world knows it
At the 2019 World Engineers Convention a declaration was signed to give engineers a clear directive on their role in making global changes for a sustainable future. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to tackle poverty, climate and environment – and engineering skills in civil, design, biomedical and renewable energy will make all the difference.
Locally engineers are feeling the love, too. In October 2020 the Australian Government forked out $2.47 billion to help find ways to lower energy costs and reduce emissions. From this bumper cash injection into renewables, $43 million has been allocated specifically to engineering research.
A problem shared…
From solving energy issues by recycling and expanding battery usage, to finding global warming solutions, engineers are all over it.
Tapping into solar? Associate Professor Deepak Dubal, from QUT, reckons the motion of sea waves is a winner. “Whatever we generate and move, we can convert to some kind of energy.”
Good health systems and finding solutions fast is where biomedical engineers step up to the plate (hi COVID-19!), and civil engineers play their part, too. Think: irrigation systems for drinkable H2O. Yep! Engineers are pretty important for a great future.
Start your career here
Study
- Bachelor of Renewable Energy Engineering (Honours), The University of Newcastle
- Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (Honours), Monash University
- Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design) / Bachelor of Engineering (Honours), QUT
Jobs
- Civil engineer: $56K–$108K
- Electrical engineer: $56K–$119K
- Biomedical engineer: $52K–$91K*
*Source: salaries according to PayScale
This article originally appears in Careers with STEM: Engineering 2021.
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Author: Pippa Duffy
Refraction Media’s Deputy Editor, Pippa has a passion for sharing cool, interesting information and spreading the STEM message.
