Brian Richmond, age 15, of Tacoma, Wash., for his question:

WHAT DOES THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS DO?

The Corps of Engineers is the branch of the United States Army that is responsible for military engineering and for many civil engineering projects.

In wartime, members of the corps build military bridges, roads, airfields, military camps and other installations. Units known as combat engineers work closely with front line troops.

In peacetime, the Corps of Engineers plans and directs the construction of navigation and flood control works for the federal government. These include harbors, dams and levees. In the early days, their activities were broader and included such public buildings as the Washington Monument.

The corps dates from 1802 when Congress authorized the president to organize the Corps of Engineers at West Point to construct a military academy.

The group has built such famous civil engineering works as the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the Panama Canal. The Corps of Engineers also supervised the Manhattan Project that developed the first atomic bomb in 1945.