CH2M HILL’s Design Squad Engineering Event - Denver, CO

CH2M HILL’s Denver office hosted 20 employees’ children for a Design Squad engineering event on December 28, 2006. The event was held in preparation for Engineers Week, February 18-24, 2007.

During the three-hour event, students in grades K-6 viewed a presentation by engineer Tom Wendling who spoke about engineering as a profession, what it takes to be a successful engineer, how engineers make a difference, and the fun aspects of being an engineer. Wendling taught kids about water engineering through a water filtration activity that used alum and sand to filter dirty pond water.

"My 2nd grade 'artist' was just as excited about the many things she learned as her 6th grade 'engineer' brother was,” said parent Lisa Morton.  “They both had lots to say regarding what they learned about water purification."

Since hands-on activities are the best way to learn about engineering principles, students spent the rest of the morning rotating between four activity stations where they had the opportunity to build a geodesic gumdrop dome, build a hidden alarm, launch a ping pong ball, and simulate factory automation. Throughout each activity, students were encouraged to continue testing and improving their designs. The morning ended with the kids working in teams to build a rubber band powered car, which was tested on a racetrack. 

“It was fascinating to watch the kids figure out the activity and then try to improve on their design,” said volunteer Carolyn Brinkers. “They had fun learning about basic engineering concepts, and hopefully, we planted some seeds that will help them to consider a career in engineering.”

During Engineers Week nearly 40 of CH2M HILL’s national offices will participate in educational outreach programs.