The National Academy of Engineering has announced that the summer issue of The Bridge features “Let There Be Light! Engineering that Transformed Electric Power and Energy.”
The article explains how electric power and energy systems became essential to homes, businesses, transportation, computing, communications, and public services.
It covers important advances in transmission networks, nuclear energy, grid automation, renewable resources, solid-state lighting, and power electronics.
The article also looks at what’s next for electric power as demand grows and new technologies like advanced computing, transportation, storage, and grid modernization change how energy systems are built and managed.
The NAE article shows that today’s electric power systems are the result of more than 250 years of engineering, from early discoveries in electricity to the grids and technologies we rely on now.
The authors are researchers from Arizona State University, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Texas at Dallas, NuScale Power, LLC, and Texas A&M University.
STEM City USA has also created a Trade Skills Explorer game that shows what a typical day is like for a worker.
The latest version focuses on a welder at a gas company.
Players can follow the career path of an apprentice gas company welder, moving up to welder, journeyman, foreman, and supervisor.
The game includes Job Safety Analysis steps and gives information about the career, job growth, trade schools, and apprenticeship programs.
Before starting work, a line worker checks the day’s tasks for their 8–12-hour shift, reviews the weather, and looks over dig permits and pipeline maps.
The day usually starts with a 6:00 am briefing, then an equipment check for the welding machine, gloves and safety gear, gas bottles and regulators, and a portable speaker. These pre-shift checks help prevent equipment problems from becoming safety risks.
In open excavations, workers inspect trench walls, shoring, and utility markings before going in. It is not safe to enter until all protective systems, and utility locations are confirmed.
For welding, making sure everything fits properly is key to a strong weld.
After welding, a visual check is the first step in quality control.
Since fatigue can lead to mistakes, staying hydrated and taking breaks is important for safety.
If the weather could affect the weld, work should pause to protect the area.
Keeping records helps track the work and shows it meets standards.
A typical day includes digging, getting ready to weld, inspections, a lunch break, installation and welding, and reviewing paperwork at the end of the day. Line workers usually earn between $65,000 and $85,000, and the job is expected to grow by 8% by 2032.