National Engineers Week Foundation
Portfolio of Programs
ENGINEERS WEEK® (FEBRUARY 19-25, 2012)
The Foundation’s signature program, Engineers Week celebrates the positive contributions engineers make to society and is a catalyst for outreach across the country to kids and adults alike. Engineers Week is part of many corporate and government cultures and is celebrated on every U.S. engineering college campus. Engineers Week 2011 celebrated a 60th anniversary (1951-2011).
Each year during Engineers Week, we host:
Discover Engineering Family Day (February 18, 2012)
Held each year at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., this action-packed event consistently draws 6,500+ attendees. Over 29 exhibitors and 300+ volunteers, kids and their families build ziplines to safely deliver marbles, explore buoyancy via tinfoil boats, and learn about waves via a giant wave tank, and much, much more.
Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day® (February 23, 2012)
Each year “Girl Day” gives thousands of women engineers, with support from their male counterparts, the chance to directly mentor more than one million girls and young women in grades K through12. This section of the www.eweek.org website has been translated into Spanish. Girl Day celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2011. (2001-2011).
New Faces of Engineering and New Faces of Engineering-College Edition
Reflecting the increasingly important role engineers play in today’s society, National Engineers Week Foundation is broadening its annual New Faces of Engineering program, which, for 8 years, has honored the nation’s most promising young engineering professionals. Now, for the first time, the popular initiative will also recognize the best and brightest college engineering students, whose academic successes and contributions to the industry are already poised to make an impact.
ONGOING PROGRAMS
DiscoverE Classroom Visits® (www.eweek.org/engineersweek/DiscoverE.aspx)
More than 45,000 engineers work with 5,500,000 students and teachers in elementary through secondary school each year through classroom visits and extracurricular programs, using educational materials provided by the National Engineers Week Foundation.
National Engineers Week Future City® Competition
Operating in 35 regions, Future City works with 1,034 schools and reaches 33,000 students in a semester-long program. This engaging program challenges 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students to design a city 150 years into the future. Each January, thousands of students participate in regional competitions presenting their designs before a panel of volunteer engineer judges. First place regional teams win a trip to Washington for National Finals, held each year during National Engineers Week. The President of the United States recently recognized Future City at the first White House Science and Engineering Fair.
ON THE WEB
Discover Engineering
This dynamic web site is designed to showcase the hows and whys of becoming an engineer to middle school students and educators. The site features an exciting video series and related hands on challenges, career information, engineer profiles, and links to related educational, professional, and corporate sites.
MyDiscoverE
Our latest offering, this new site is a rich searchable database filled with engineering events, workshops, and camp programs that will become the go-to place for families looking for opportunities in their area.
Sightseers Guide to Engineering
Visit the engineering marvels in all 50 states—while not leaving your house. From the subtle to the spectacular, visitors not only get to learn more about America’s rich engineering feats but are encouraged to submit their own favorites.
Global Marathon For, By and About Women in Engineering®
Imagine getting the chance to talk to women engineers from around the world for four hours each day over a 6-day period. Women (and men) from North America, South America, China, India, South Africa, and UK/Europe discuss universal topics—how to encourage girls and young women to consider engineering as a career, advice on career paths for young engineers, achieving a life/work balance, and benefits of networking. The Marathon happens each March (March 5-10, 2012) via live Internet chats, telephone conversations and Webcasts.
MEDIA PARTNERS
Cyberchase
Cyberchase is a wildly popular action-packed math adventure for young children produced by WNET-NY (PBS). Engineers Week partners receive specially-produced resource kits to “join the Cyberchase” and make the engineering connection with young children. Previous seasons and materials have focused on inventing, building, and engineering.
Design Squad Nation
Shifting away from the reality competition format of past seasons, Design Squad Nation sends two new co-hosts Judy and Adam across the county and around the world, to work side-by-side with kids to turn their dreams into reality – via engineering. The TV show, website, and extensive outreach campaign are sparking kids inventive spirit to engage them in content-rich engineering challenges.
Engineer Your Life (EYL)
EYL is a ground-breaking messaging campaign that is successfully challenging high school girls, teachers, and counselors outdated stereotypes about engineering. Based on the results of an extensive nationwide survey identifying what girls want—careers that are creative, collaborative, personally fulfilling, and most of all socially relevant, EYL is making a compelling case to high school girls through a web site, promotional materials, and national workshops for engineers and educators.
Printed and AV Materials
The Foundation prepares and distributes a variety of support materials including classroom activities, “how-to” instructions, promotional materials such as buttons and caps, a variety of DVDs and video products and, each year, a new poster to inspire excitement and pride in the engineering profession.
See www.eweek.org, email info@eweek.org, or call (703) 684-2852 for more information on each of these programs and materials to support them.