Major buildings, energy supply systems, chemical plants, food processing, and aircraft are all examples of engineering today. Despite such diversity, nearly all engineering fields rely on common principles and methods, and there is remarkable similarity in the daily work of engineers. Engineers spend most effort organising and coordinating collaborative work by all the diverse people involved, guided by their technical knowledge and experience. Unlike physics or biology, where immutable laws underpin the study, the essence of engineering is found in how theory is applied judgementally. To quickly grasp the nature of engineering the fifty summaries in 30-Second Engineering outlines types of engineering from mechanical to chemical; the universal stages of a collaborative engineering project; and the key ways engineering can solve the challenges of our future earth.