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Engineers Week Goes Global, Expands Outreach and Volunteer Opportunities.
BP p.l.c. is headquartered in the United Kingdom but also has a significant U.S. presence. BP mobilized its engineers in Washington state, Illinois, Texas, and Alaska for Engineers Week outreach. The company is using the Engineers Week model and programs portfolio in several other countries as well. Working with the Royal Academy of Engineering, BP and others will launch a campaign in the United Kingdom to promote engineering in the fall of 2005. Engineers Week 2005 co-chairs ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) and BP made Engineers Without Borders - USA a major focus of the ’05 campaign. EWB-USA organizes volunteer teams to design and implement sustainable solutions in small, developing communities. Engineers Week has always highlighted the engineering community’s volunteerism and contributions to the quality of life. EWB-USA is a perfect fit. Engineers Week partners were introduced to EWB-USA and continue to encourage member participation. ASME’s initial support for EWB-USA included a project in Piedritas, Mexico, and one in Santisuk, Thailand. Engineering students from the University of New Hampshire handled the Santisuk project, funded in part by BP. An ASME film crew shot a documentary, which will be released later this year, about the Santisuk project.
Finally, students in EWB-USA projects experience engineering at its most personal and rewarding level. “Students use and refine their developing technical skills to tackle problems and achieve immediate results,” says Victoria Rockwell, 2005 Engineers Week Chair. “They see first-hand the powerful impact they can make, in very different cultures than their own, and develop a sense of belonging to the community of engineers that contributes to human progress. These are lessons that can only be learned by doing.” Several Engineers Week partners presented a briefing at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on February 24 to provide information on how volunteer engineering societies are supporting reconstruction efforts through EWB-USA in parts of Asia ruined by the December 2004 tsunami. ASME's Armen presented a $10,000 relief check to EWB-USA's Founding President Dr. Bernard Amadei. The contribution was made by matching employee contributions. On behalf of the United Engineering Foundation, Patrick Natale, P.E., Executive Director of the American Society of Civil Engineers, presented a $25,000 check. The funds will help rebuild nine schools in Sri Lanka. For more information on EWB-USA's short-term plans for tsunami reconstruction click here. For a short list of common materials needed now for relief reconstruction, click here. BP and ASME partnered to chair both a professional conference and outreach to high school girls in the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago. Engineers in the U.S., Israel, United Kingdom, Canada, India and other points around the globe participated in a global marathon. (See Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day.) Reports of international outreach activities are arriving at Engineers Week headquarters from the Middle East, Australia, Mexico, and the Netherlands. |
Besides its humanitarian benefits, Harry Armen, 2004-2005 president of ASME, sees EWB-USA as an ideal goodwill ambassador for the profession. “Our program for Engineers Week 2005 not only opens opportunities for engineers and engineering students to answer the call to service,” he notes, “we’re also raising awareness about the contributions of engineers in the global community.”
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National Engineers Week Foundation
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