EWeek

EWeek 2010 ENews #5 –February 4, 2010

Engineers Week 2010 will be celebrated February 14 - 20. Co-chairs are ExxonMobil Corporation and the American Society of Civil Engineers.Feel free to forward this letter or contents to other interested parties.

Contents
1.Tweet Future City
2. Resources Still Available
3. You're invited to the EWeek Blast!
4. Talking with Kids: Do's and Don'ts
5. Engineering Community Calls for K-12 Engineering Support
6. In Local News

1. Tweet Future City

As Engineers Week 2010 approaches, more than 1,100 middle schools have come down to the final 39 for the National Engineers Week Future City® Competition National Finals. The National Champion will be named on February 16. You can join us online and on Twitter. Join us at #FutureCity or #EWEEK. You can sign up at Twitter.com. It's free.

2. Resources Still Available

At eweek.org you'll find lots of great resources, like hands-on activities to do with young students. You still have time to order bookmarks, volunteer kits and much more. Visit the Online Store.

3. You're invited to the EWeek Blast!

Engineers Week 2010 is just days away! To celebrate, the American Society of Civil Engineers, 2010 National Co-Chair, is inviting engineering schools to take part in the first nationwide Web-based gathering of engineering students – the Engineers Week Blast! Design Squad television host, engineer Nate Ball, will be Master of Ceremonies for the event, which will be signaled live from Howard University in Washington, D.C., on February 18 at 8 PM [EST].

What is the EWeek Blast? Students will log in at 8 PM for one hour of online fun, laughs, and prizes with other engineering students from around the country. Each school may register one venue and should invite all engineering students to join the fun. Students will see the premiere of a National Engineers Week Student Engineering Video, highlighting how students are 'Making their Mark on the World' through community and volunteer service; watch exciting live announcements of top video entries and winners for the Engineers Week and IEEE-USA Video contests, and, have fun with engineering-related pop culture trivia, guaranteed to stump even the smartest engineering student.

Although the deadline has passed to enter a video into the video contest, schools may still participate in the celebration by registering a campus site to watch the Webcast. The registration URL is: http://message.asce.org/content/EWeekBlast

All registered participants will receive log-in and password information for the event, and if registered by February 8, will receive a "Blast Box" of fun stuff from the National Engineers Week Foundation coalition to help set the tone.

4. Talking with Kids: Do's and Don'ts

With National Engineers Week coming up, it's a perfect time to start thinking about how we can spark kids' interest in engineering. Here is Engineer Your Life's list of "Do's and Don'ts" for talking to kids about engineering.

- Do focus on the rewards of being an engineer.
- Do share how your work makes a difference in the lives of others.
- Do talk about some of your other interests (hobbies, family life).
- Do ask kids what they like to do and see if you can link their interests to engineering.

- Don't focus on the process of becoming an engineer.
- Don't use dense technical language.
- Don't refer to yourself as a nerd or geek, even in jest!
- Don't forget to answer the question: What's an engineer?
Here's EYL's definition: Engineers are changing the world all the time. They dream up creative, practical solutions and work with teams of smart, inspiring people to invent, design, and create things that matter.

Learn more about effective communication tips at EngineerYourLife.org

5. Engineering Community Calls for K-12 Engineering Support

More than 50 organizations have endorsed a legislative effort to create a state grant program to support K-12 engineering education programs. The effort, led by the national Center for Technological Literacy at the Museum of Science, Boston, builds off the national Academy of Engineering report, Engineering in K-12 Education.

The draft bill will provide planning, implementation, and evaluation grants to states or consortia that are interested in integrating engineering concepts & processes into their core curricula. The goals of the legislation include increasing: 1) student achievement in STEM subjects; 2) knowledge and competency in engineering design skills; 3) number of teachers prepared to teach engineering; and 4) number and diversity of students planning to pursue a career in engineering. The list of current supporters can be found here. The legislation may be introduced around Engineers Week 2010.

If you are interested in supporting or endorsing this effort, please contact Patti Curtis, Managing Director, Washington Office, National Center for Technological Literacy at the Museum of Science: curtisp@mos.org. Also, please visit: www.nctl.org.

6. In Local News

Agilent Technologies in Santa Rosa, California, will host Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day on February 20. They will host 125 girls (Grade 5 through 12) from across Sonoma County and introduce to the girls the importance of asking the "How's" and "Why's" and how that plays an important role in every aspect of life. Contact dipti_chheda@agilent.com and see www.agilent.com.

On February 13, 7th - 12th graders will gather at the University of Washington's Tacoma Institute of Technology to participate in hands-on activities and to hear presentations from local and international engineers. Faculty and students at the Institute have agreed to mentor middle school and high school girls. Some girls will work on research, others will attend college courses. Contact is Adrienne Ione ai22@uw.edu and see tacoma.washington.edu/tech/msl.

The South Ohio Section of the Society of Women engineers will host the Second Annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day at Mason High School in Cincinnati. Approximately 50 girls, between grades 8 and 12, will attend two workshops, with a total of five to choose from. There will also be a panel of University of Cincinnati students to wrap up the day with a question/answer session for the girls to learn about the engineering curriculum and co-op program at UC. Contact sheri.smith@duke-energy.com or see http://www.southohioswe.org/.

Garrison Forest School in Owings Mills, Maryland, partners with Johns Hopkins University's Whiting School of Engineering to offer the WISE program -- Women in Science and Engineering. Students in the program participate in hands-on research at JHU. A group of WISE students will be presenting their research to the GFS community as part of Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day. In addition, a special assembly is planned, along with a family-day field trip to the Discover Engineering Family Day at the National Building Museum's engineering program in Washington, D.C. on February 20. Contact andreaperry@gfs.org or see www.gfs.org.

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The National Engineers Week Foundation coalition comprises more than 75 engineering, professional, and technical societies and more than 50 corporations and government agencies. The coalition is dedicated to sustaining and growing a dynamic engineering profession by ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce, increasing understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers among young students, and promoting pre-college literacy in math and science.Among the oldest of America's professional outreach efforts, the coalition also raises public understanding and appreciation of engineering contributions to society through year-round innovative programming and celebration.

Previous issues of the EWEEK ENEWS available here .