Civil Engineering is the oldest of the engineering disciplines, and today, covers many specialties. Indeed, Structural Engineering Geotechnical Engineering Environmental Engineering and Management Engineering Mechanics and Materials Transportation and Coastal Engineering are all special areas or programs within Civil Engineering curricula. Civil engineering, which takes pride in calling itself a people serving profession, relies more than any other engineering discipline upon communication skills, the perception of, and sensitivity to, the needs of society. Whether it is a skyscraper or a water treatment plant, an offshore rig or a bridge, a highway or an airport, the Civil Engineer is there to answer the call. It is no secret that Civil Engineers are among the highest users of computer technology today, and that an enormous amount of the engineering software on the market is written by and for Civil Engineers. Driven by the dynamics of the marketplace, Civil Engineers are among the first to use the available high technology; indeed, they are a very important moving force behind many breakthroughs in automation and computer- aided design. Civil engineers can choose from a broad spectrum of opportunities in industry and consulting practice as well as research and development in firms in which civil engineers often participate as owners and partners. Employment can be found among a wide variety of industrial, governmental, construction and private consulting organizations. With an infrastructure that need constant maintenance and upgrading there is a large demand for civil engineers nationally and internationally. When one thinks of Civil Engineering, one usually thinks of tall structures that withstand the fury of hurricanes and earthquakes, elegant suspension or cable stayed bridges, gigantic dams and water treatment plants. Seldom does the public think of airplanes, submarines, cars, trains or other structures subjected to force and deformation. Yet, it is the structural engineer, who is responsible for the integrity of such structures once their shape has been defined by their architects. The transportation industry, automotive or aerospace, employs a very large number of civil engineers in its design offices and plants. Civil engineering is truly the profession that has shaped our past and is helping define and build our future.