2.0 A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
History
The department of Civil Engineering of this great University started in 1991 with initial staff strength of four lecturers and two technologists. The initial intake of students was twenty which has grown to over three hundred students in 2019/2020 session. Similarly, the staff strength has consistently increased to eighteen lecturers, four Graduate Assistants, sixteen Technologists and fifteen administrative staff.
Civil Engineering is the oldest branch of the engineering profession. Since it dates back to the building of the pyramids, it is as old as civilization itself. Civil Engineering is that branch of engineering that endeavour to build useful structures for the purpose of solving man’s environmental problems. Civil Engineering is a broad field that deals with a wide variety of projects. No wonder the results of Civil Engineering works are evident everywhere. Numerous areas of emphasis identifiable within the field of Civil Engineering include:
Highways and Transportation Engineering – the study of design and maintenance of the structural facilities involved in the movement of people and cargo from place to place.
Water Resources Engineering – concerned with sourcing, harnessing and the transportation and storage of water for development of domestic, industrial, hydropower generation, irrigation, recreation and amenity facilities.
Environmental Engineering – deals with the problems of proving safe and adequate water supply both for domestic and industrial use, controlling and preventing air and water pollution, and collection, treatment and disposing of all types of domestic and industrial wastes.
Structural Engineering – includes, among other things, the analysis design and construction of all types of structures such as buildings, bridges, storage tanks, dams and electric power transmission towers.
Geotechnical Engineering – undertakes the study of ways and means of using soil as a material of construction
Construction Engineering/Management – is concerned with the process of developing efficient and economic methods of construction operations such as earth moving and erection procedures.