Exploring Infrastructure

Readers discover the many ways in which dams and levees are marvels of modern engineering through accessible text and informative photographs. Each chapter focuses on an important aspect of these structures, including the history of their invention, examples of noteworthy dams and levees, related career paths, and stories of the tragedies that have occurred when dams and levees failed. This book's contents directly correlate with Next Generation Science Standards. Readers will gain a deeper appreciation and respect for the engineering behind dams and levees, and the influence these beautiful structures have on our society.

Waste management is one of the most essential infrastructure elements in any society. With engaging text and informative photographs, each chapter focuses on an important aspect of waste management, including the earliest examples of sewers and landfills, the technological advances that have improved the transportation, storage, and elimination of waste over the centuries, profiles of waste management careers, and some of the most impressive waste management systems in use globally today. This book's content directly correlates with Next Generation Science Standards. This ensures that young readers gain a deeper appreciation for waste management systems and the workers who build and maintain them.

Infrastructure is an essential part of any modern community. In this informative book, readers will explore the water supply, taking a detailed look at how water is gathered and filtered for safe consumption. Full-color photographs, fast facts, and accessible text provide readers with comprehensive descriptions of the system, an overview of its history and development, a description of the jobs that support the water system, and a look at how technology may change the future of the infrastructure. Content supports Next Generation Science Standards.

Today's tunnels, which extend through mountains and underneath oceans and rivers, are marvels of engineering. Readers take a close-up look at these structures and how they are built and maintained. Each chapter will focus on a key area, including the earliest tunnels, the technological advances that have improved their design and construction over time, profiles of tunnel-related careers, and examples of the most impressive tunnels in the world. This book's content correlates with Next Generation Science Standards, ensuring that young readers gain a deeper appreciation and respect for tunnels and the workers that create and maintain them.

Through accessible text and informative photographs, readers will explore ports, the backbone of commerce and trade throughout human civilization. Each chapter focuses on an important aspect of these facilities, including the history of ancient ports, the technological advances that have improved shipping over the centuries, profiles of port-related careers, and examples of the most impressive and influential ports of the modern era. Content directly correlates with Next Generation Science Standards, ensuring that young readers gain a deeper appreciation and respect for ports and the engineers that create and maintain them.

No aspect of infrastructure is quite as diverse as bridges. They may be simple or complex, ancient or modern, beautiful or plain. One trait that bridges do share is that they help people get where they're going, making them essential to a society on the move. In this informative text, readers delve into the world of bridges, their history, the various types, and the people who build and maintain them. Full-color photographs, fascinating stories, and fun facts add interest as readers get to know more about these feats of engineering and their role, past, present, and future, in our world.

As the world becomes more of a global community, air travel between states and countries is commonplace. Airports are playing an increasingly integral part of infrastructure in the United States and around the world. Through accessible text, readers travel to a time when airplanes landed on grassy fields, then move through the years to futuristic terminals featuring innovative technology. This captivating book takes a closer look at the airport industry and what it takes to operate millions of people in transit, featuring real-life examples, full-color photographs, and high-interest fact boxes.

Every day, millions of people get in their cars and trucks and hit the road. In order to support this huge volume of traffic, a strong system of highways and roads is essential. This comprehensive book examines how early trails and dirt roads eventually led to the high-speed freeways that now connect our cities, states, and countries. Readers are introduced to various types of roads, important rules and safety measures, and the many workers who ensure the maintenance and development of our highway system. Color photographs and fun facts accompany high-interest text in this first-hand look at a complex and crucial network.