photo by Charles Hubbard (#)

What is a dam?

A dam is a structure built across a stream, river or estuary to retain water.

Some dams are tall and thin, while others are short and thick.

Dams are made from a variety of materials such as rock, steel and wood.

We will concentrate on dams made from concrete, a complex material, because it is important for the construction of large dams.

Who builds dams?

Well, dams are really the product of many people, but civil engineers are usually key players. Keep your eye out for this cee symbol to point out things that civil engineers do.

What is a Societal Structure?

Societal structures are those whose performance - including catastrophic failure - has a large impact on a significant population.

An obvious example of a societal structure is a bridge. A bridge provides a large number of people with a convientient way to cross a river.

Can you name other societal structures?

photo by Prof. Richard White (#)

traffic cam shot courtesy of Access Atlanta (#)

We see that societal structures are necessary on a daily basis. People are willing to deal with traffic and road construction in order to use their roads.

Societal structures are built for specific reasons to help people.

Why do people build dams?