<p>Hello, I'm a college student interested in the field of engineering. So it's the time of the year again to select courses, and I happened to come across an Earth Science class that seemed interesting. However, I also don't want to waste my time and effort in some class that isn't too useful to my field, which is engineering (hasn't decided which engineering, but more towards non-bio e or chem-e, kinda inclined towards either mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or engineering sciences), and I was wondering whether Earth science is related to the field of my interest.
P.S.: Would earth Science be tied to alternative energy or robotics?</p>
<p>Earth science is indeed interesting, and it can be quite relevant for some branches of engineering – like petroleum engineering, mining engineering, or geotechnical engineering (usually regarded as a branch of civil engineering). </p>
<p>In general, however, it does not have obvious applicability to fields like mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, alternative energy, or robotics.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the helpful reply. But would Earth Science be helpful for engineering fields that deal with environment?</p>
<p>All the fields Corbett mentioned relate directly to the environment. I’d say earth science is very applicable towards environmental engineering as well. So if an engineering discipline is related to the environment there is a pretty good chance earth science is involved.</p>
<p>There are also applications in alternative energy (e.g. hydropower and geothermal). I can’t see many applications of earth science in robotics, though.</p>
<p>Of the fields you listed that peaked your interest the most (mechanical, electrical, engineering science), applications of earth science are pretty limited. If you plan on entering one of these majors and not specializing in a field directly related to environmental systems, it probably won’t be too useful to take the course. You could take the course just for the sake of learning if it really interests you and you have the time, but it probably won’t be practical for your listed prospective majors.</p>
<p>As an EE, I’m surprised that the Earth and Space Sciences majors at my school are learning techniques such as Fourier analysis, convolution, filtering, and numerical ODE/PDE, which are definitely related to EE coursework. There are also research projects which send robots to deep sea environment to investigate deep ocean ridges, hydrothermal vents or rare earth minerals. </p>
<p>Hence, I think EE knowledge can be useful in areas such as data analysis and remote sensing (satellite imaging of weather patterns, seismology, detection of oil/gas/minerals), robotics (unmanned probes in deep sea, underground mine, outer atmosphere), and power engineering (geothermal/wind/wave/solar).</p>
<p>As for mechanical engineering, I guess the background in fluid mechanics and thermodynamics would prove invaluable in volcanology, physical oceanography, atmospheric processes, magnetohydrodynamics, etc, which are somewhat/somehow related to renewable energy or robotics.</p>
<p>Earth & Space Sciences was my backup major, when I applied to my school and department (Aero). It turns out there is a couple students that are doing a double major in Aero and E&SS.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for all your replies!! One of the main reasons I posted this question was because I’m having an hard time deciding between two classes. One is an analysis course under earth science (I first signed up for an introductory Earth Science course, which I found it to be less useful than this course), and another one is a introductory robotics course. Both courses have their advantage and disadvantage for me though.</p>
<p>For the Earth Science course, like you said, seems to have no direct correlation in their title. However, the content of this course is very useful for me in the future since this course deals with learning computer simulations of “fractals in geophysics, properties of materials at high pressure, celestial mechanics, and diffusion processes in the Earth”, according to the course description. The methods described in the course are “ordinary and partial differential equations to molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations” with very little prerequisites! The course has a fairly good grade rating as well.</p>
<p>For the introduction to robotic course, there are several advantages. First, I like robotics, and the course directly relates to my fields of interest. Also, the course has a very high grade rating (ie. better chance of getting good grade… but if I work hard on the other class, I’m sure I’ll get a good grade in that class as well) However, the course doesn’t seem like what I expected. I expected a more hands-on job, but it seems to focus lot more on programming that I wanted. And although I have experience on C++, MATLAB, and Scheme, I have not used Java before, which some understanding is recommended. </p>
<p>So in this case, does one course stands out for my interest/ future career path, or do both courses have a fair amount of contribution? Sorry about the wordy description of the courses.</p>
<p>
Many environmental engineers work on the remediation of polluted soil and groundwater. In such case, knowledge of geology and hydrogeology is important. In fact, environmental engineers typically work with environmental geologists on such projects: the geologists assess the problem, and the engineers develop remedial systems to clean it up.</p>