This is a sponsored article on behalf of the Institution of Civil Engineers.
Most people are probably aware that a city needs civil engineers to make it tick, but do you actually understand what they do? It'll only take you 180 seconds if you watch these videos from Pitch180, a competition where engineers have just three minutes to creatively explain an aspect of their job.
The winning entry from this year's Pitch180 competition included, rather unconventionally, cake (got your attention now, haven't we?). In just 180 seconds, forensic engineer Bernard Travers explained subsidence — the gradual caving in of land — in an edible manner. Think of attempts to bake and sinking sponges and it makes sense: watch the video below.
Perhaps games are more your thing? Jonathan Knight used dominoes to show how the Thames Tideway Tunnel protects engineers from sewage discharge, a pretty innovative way of explaining what could be quite messy.
Meanwhile, wind turbines were the subject of Simone Schmeider's highly commended entry — she used mini windmills to explain the need for strong foundations, and the judges were pretty blown away (pun intended).
Alastair Shipman tackled a more real and current threat in his presentation on terrorism. Although civil engineering may not immediately come to mind when thinking of protecting ourselves against terrorist threats, his pitch showed just how important infrastructure is in keeping us all safe - watch and learn.
180 seconds really isn't long. For these guys to get across some complex engineering know-how in that time takes brains and talent. It may be an idea to brush up your civil engineering trivia and learn something new about the way our city is built. Take a three minute breather and watch a Pitch180 video — it's 180 seconds well spent.
