EWeek

EWeek 2006 ENews #19 – February 17, 2006

National Engineers Week 2005 will be celebrated February 20-26. Feel free to forward this letter or contents to other interested parties.

The National Engineers Week Future City Competition™ National Finals are February 21 and 22 in Washington, D.C. The national champion will be named by noon on February 22.
"Connecting Educators to Engineering Day" is February 22. Visit www.eweek2006.org for recorded Webinars that will help you develop partnerships will middle school educators. And, there are links to a variety of resources. New forums for educators to ask questions of engineers go live through April.
February 23 is "Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day." Click here for up-to-date information and support.

Don't forget to tell us about your events and learn what others are doing. See the "Local Events Forum"

2. I Spy New Faces of Engineering
Among the 2006 New Faces of Engineering are military and government engineers who are establishing their careers with breakthrough projects and leadership at home and abroad.

Tatiana X. Hernandez is a water resources engineer for Tetra Tech. Hernandez came to the United States in 1998 with limited knowledge of English, but a determination to succeed. Since earning a master's degree in civil engineering, she has been responsible for developing FEMA floodplain zones in the city of Deltona, Florida, supervising the design and permit process of a $2 million emergency system that provides an outfall to 31 lakes and flood relief for 57,000 residents. Tatiana was nominated for recognition by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers.

Mario Duarte, a risk and security engineer for the Houston Airport System, has embarked on a career as an industrial engineer dedicated to homeland security research and development. He has helped design a specialized mathematics-based security, threat, and vulnerability analysis method and is currently analyzing the efficiency of the explosive detection and baggage handling systems at the Houston airports. He was nominated by the Institute of Industrial Engineers.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers nominated industrial engineer Jason Brandon Adams, P.E. Adams is with the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center and has worked with the environmentally safe disposal of chemical warfare material at formerly used defense sites. In one case, Adams identified cost-effective alternatives that reduced the budget by more than $850 million.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Darrin Barber of the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program (nominated by Navy Nuclear) has used his technical abilities to significantly contribute to the construction of the newest nuclear powered attack submarine, the PCU TEXAS (SSN 775). A chemistry and radiological assistant, Barber served as engineering officer of the watch during rigorous testing to certify the ship's nuclear reactor plant.

Nominees were submitted through engineering societies by corporations, academia and engineering professionals and were honored by a full-page advertisement in "USA Today" on February 15. Click here for information on all 64 New Faces nominations.

3. In Local News
Offices of General Dynamics – Advanced Information Systems are engaging students. On February 18 GD-AIS supports 26 middle schools in the North Piedmont, North Carolina, MATHCOUNTS competition. In Dayton, Ohio, that day and on the 19th, engineers from General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and other engineering companies will present more than 60 hands-on technical displays to engage students. "TechFest" takes place at Sinclair Community College. On February 20 the folks in Tucson, Arizona, and students from Ironwood High School will present geospatial technologies to local police and fire departments. On February 21 in Springfield, Virginia, engineers and 100 students from a local elementary school will experiment with submarine technology, and in McLeansville, North Carolina, that day General Dynamics hosts a middle school egg drop competition. For information on any event contact.Jessica.pantages@gd-ais.com.

"Girls in Engineering Day" at Yale University will bring a group of 6th to 10th graders from area public and private schools to Yale University's campus in New Haven, Connecticut, on April 11 for a day of tours, demonstrations and other activities. The day's events are designed to spark their interest in pursuing careers in engineering. The Trivia Knowledge of Yale Engineering Faculty will be tested on February 24. For more information, contact Eric Mitchell at either eric.mitchell@yale.edu. or 203-432-4222.

Approximately 500 guests will attend the NSPE E-Week Banquet at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. All professional societies will be making their year-end awards at the banquet. Contact alison.ratliff@hdrinc.com.

The DuPage Area Engineer's Week Committee has scheduled an Open House for February 25 at Illinois Institute of Technology's Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Campus in Wheaton, Illinois. This program includes activities that are free and open to the public. Explore engineering with members of the Chicagoland engineering community. This year's theme is "Women in Engineering". The Expo will feature interactive displays and presentations that are fun and educational, designed to enhance children's interest in math, science, and of course engineering. The DuPage program, now on its 22nd year, is a joint effort among professional engineering and scientific societies, area national laboratories, businesses, educational institutions and community organizations. Displays and presentations this year will focus on the contributions of women to engineering and encouraging young girls' interest in the field. All events are free and open to the public.

Harvard's Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is hosting a social event on February 21 on the ground floor of Maxwell Dworkin. Meet fellow engineering enthusiasts and enjoy free food and games. The Harvard College Engineering Society will show off their prototype robot football player. Leaders from various engineering-related Harvard student groups will be on hand to answer questions. The engineering students will also kick off an undergraduate writing competition. In 500 to 1000 words answer the following: What does engineering in a liberal arts setting mean to you? Contact is Dr. Marie Dahleh mdahleh@deas.harvard.edu

The Maryland Section of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) is hosting its annual Student Forum in cooperation with the AIChE student chapter at University of Maryland - Baltimore County (UMBC). The event will be held on the UMBC campus on February 20 for students (UMBC and Johns Hopkins University) and AIChE members. There will be informal discussion among the students and engineers, as well as a panel of several engineers who will also be available for questions. Contact is Barb Roeper, Vice Chair, AIChE Maryland Section at broeper@eaest.com.

Outreach programs including a bridge contest with over 60 teams, robotics club, Future Cities displays, Mathcounts, and scholarship winners are on the agenda for the Capital District Chapter, New York State Society of Professional Engineers. More than 70 continuing education programs are put together by area technical and professional societies. Click here for a schedule of events and registration form or contact healyjack@hotmail.com.

The Society of Women Engineers and the National Society of Professional Engineers have teamed up to host the Tri-City Engineers Week Banquet on February 24 in Richland, Washington. Contact is jydobson@energy-northwest.com

Let us know about your event. A quick trip to the "Local Events Forum" is all it takes.

4. A Look at One Company
Thirty-seven CH2M HILL offices across the U.S. will participate in E-Week 2006. The firm's coordinators focus on three areas of participation during E-Week: school outreach, employee recognition, and external awareness.

Each office will visit at least one elementary, middle school, high school or university as part of the company's goal of "inspiring tomorrow's engineers today". For example, employees in San Jose, Knoxville, and Oak Ridge will visit under-represented local schools, while Houston and Boise employees will incorporate E-Week into activities with their adopted schools. Several offices, including Denver, Reno, and Salt Lake City, will participate in events targeted to girls interested in science and technology. Corvallis employees will support the CH2M HILL/Oregon State University High School Model Bridge Contest, while employees in Raleigh, Albuquerque, and Redding assist MATHCOUNTS competitions.

Internally, employees will celebrate E-Week with company breakfasts, lunches, ice cream socials and cookie breaks. Additionally, employees in Portland will compete in a LEGO™ building competition, Cincinnati will hit the links in an employee putt-putt golf tournament, and Milwaukee employees will be put to the test with daily engineering trivia.

CH2M HILL will also be spreading the word to clients through E-Week greeting cards, advertising, and participation in city-wide E-Week events. Among other events, employees will chair the Los Angeles Council of Engineers and Scientists engineering achievement awards banquet, and participate in local activities in Honolulu with the Hawaii Council of Engineering Societies E-Week and in Charlotte with the Professional Engineers of North Carolina. Headquarters contact is Joanna Monahan at joanna.monahan@ch2m.com.

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To submit content or comments, or to be added to our email distribution list, please e-mail eweek@nspe.org. All suggestions will be considered.Founded in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers, Engineers Week ( February 19-25, 2006) is celebrated annually by thousands of engineers, engineering students, teachers, and leaders in government and business. In 1988, the National Engineers Week consortium expanded its scope and now includes more than 100 engineering, scientific, and education societies and major corporations dedicated to enhancing the public understanding of the engineering profession and to promoting pre-college interest in math, science, and engineering as a career option. Previous issues of the EWEEK ENEWS available here.

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