Engineers Week 2007 (February 18 – 24): Overview of Activities

Engineers Week, a formal coalition of more than 75 engineering, professional, and technical societies and more than 50 corporations and government agencies, was founded in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers. The program is dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers among young students and by promoting pre-college literacy in math and science. Engineers Week also raises public understanding and appreciation of engineers' contributions to society. Co-chairs for 2007 are the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and Tyco Electronics. Visit www.eweek.org for complete information on Engineers Week programs including:

• Design Squad – A new PBS program that uses television to introduce kids and families to the engineering design process premieres the first of its 13 episodes on PBS stations nationwide during Engineers Week 2007. Design Squad features two teams of real high school kids who use their problem-solving skills to design, construct and test engineering projects such as a machine that automatically makes pancakes, or a motorized red wagon that can reach speeds up to 20 mph. More information on Design Squad and its educational outreach program can be found online at www.pbskids.org/designsquad.

• Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (Thursday, February 22) – Thousands of women engineers, with support from their male counterparts, directly mentor more than one million girls and young women in K-12 with firsthand experiences in engineering. Girl Day events nationwide are listed at http://www.eweek.org/site/News/Eweek/2007_nationalpledgeroster.shtml.

• Global Marathon For, By and About Women in Engineering – A live webcast and teleconference running continuously from Noon Thursday, March 22 through Noon Friday, March 23 (EST) at www.eweek.org. Dozens of presentations and Q&A sessions originating from points worldwide heighten awareness of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics issues among pre-college, college, and young career women, and examine issues such as retaining women in college engineering programs and the workplace.

• New Faces of Engineering – Highlighting young engineers and their contributions provides stimulation and incentive for college-level students and encourages younger students to consider engineering careers. Fifteen New Faces, age 30 and younger, who have worked on projects that impact public welfare or further professional development and growth, will be announced during Engineers Week and recognized for their accomplishments in USA Today and at www.eweek.org/site/Engineers/newfaces2007/.

• National Engineers Week Future City CompetitionTM– Celebrating its 15th Anniversary, 30,000 middle-school students in 1,100 schools from 38 regions across America work with teachers and volunteer engineers to envision the future in large, tabletop models of cities of tomorrow. The teams present their Future Cities before engineer judges at regional competitions in January. First place teams from qualifying regional competitions win a trip to Washington for the Future City National Finals, February 19-21. Visit www.futurecity.org.

• Cyberchase – A new multi-media activity guide is based on the fifth season of Cyberchase, the popular PBS television program and web site. Season Five focuses on inventions and how inventive design relies on mathematical skills such as logic, measurement, experimentation, data analysis and visual thinking. “My Big Idea: Cyberchase Inventions” includes activities, a CD-ROM with handouts and graphics, and a DVD with Cyberchase episodes. Cyberchase is broadcast on more than 350 PBS stations nationwide, reaching five million viewers, including three million children age two to eleven each week. Visit http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/.

• DiscoverE – More than 45,000 engineers work with five and a half million students and teachers in elementary through secondary school each year through classroom visits and extracurricular programs, using educational materials provided by Engineers Week. DiscoverE's 2007 program materials include multi-media activity guides developed from the PBS television programs Design Squad and Cyberchase. Translations of hands-on activity materials in French, German, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish are at www.eweek.org/site/international/index.shtml.

• Drive Time Radio Tour – Engineers Week Chair Rick Peters from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers will be interviewed on radio stations nationwide on Tuesday, February 20.

• Family Day is set for Saturday, February 17 at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. Family Day 2007 features activities from the PBS television programs Cyberchase and Design Squad, and cast members including Design Squad co-host, mechanical engineer Deanne Bell, one of the show’s high-school contestants, Krishana, and “Digit” from Cyberchase. For more information, go to http://eweekdcfamilyday.org.

• National Engineering Design Challenge – High school students apply creativity, science, and engineering problem-solving and teamwork to help people with disabilities enter or advance in the workplace by overcoming barriers to employment. After competitions across the country, the top five teams go to national finals in Washington, D.C. on Friday, February 16. More information on NEDC, sponsored by JETS, can be found at www.jets.org.

• Awards – The National Academy of Engineering (www.nae.edu) presents its annual awards, including the $500,000 Draper Prize, on Tuesday evening, February 20 at a gala banquet in Washington, D.C. The Chinese Institute of Engineers (www.cie-usa.org) presents the Asian American Engineer of the Year Awards, recognizing outstanding Asian American professionals in academe, public service and corporations, in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, March 31.

• Visioneering 2007: Designing the Future – This annual event for middle school students in the Dallas – Fort Worth area is scheduled for Saturday, March 31 on the campus of Southern Methodist University, and taped for a later television broadcast to schools nationwide on Channel One. More information is available at www.theinstitute.smu.edu/visioneering/.

• Sightseer’s Guide to Engineering (www.engineeringsights.org) celebrates engineering marvels from the subtle to the spectacular in all 50 states. The public can also join in the recognition and appreciation of the achievements of America's engineers by submitting their own favorites.

• Discover Engineering (www.discoverengineering.org) – Middle school students can discover the how and why of becoming an engineer at this informational web site, featuring links to hundreds of related educational, professional, and corporate sites.

National Engineers Week Foundation
1420 King Street   Alexandria, VA 22314
tel. 703.684.2852   email: eweek@nspe.org