EWeek 2006 ENews #25 – March 17, 2006
National Engineers Week 2005 will be celebrated February 20-26. Feel free to forward this letter or contents to other interested parties.
1. Marathon
The 24-hour Global Marathon For, By and About Women in Engineering, taking place via telephone and internet conversations from Noon EST on March 23 to Noon on March 24, is intended to provide inspiration, information and recognition. We hope your co-workers and outreach partners such as college students and local teachers will join us.
The marathon is a rich resource and provides personal access for our partners interested in learning how to communicate effectively with young pre-college women, in getting insights into working with college students, and in gaining useful information for your young professional members. The marathon provides you with a real-time resource to begin discussions with teachers, parents, guidance counselors, and their daughters and students. Additionally the conversations are archived for use throughout the year. There is no charge to participate.
The marathon sessions range from presentations of very specific strategic issues to less formal conversations. For example, former US astronaut Sally Ride, the first woman in space, discusses "Encouraging Girls in Engineering." JETS will lead "Building skills in spatial-visualization and other areas for success in engineering" and "Girls and math: what are the strategies for success in college math?" There are several sessions on the importance of mentors and even a discussion with a mentor and protégé. College students and young professionals can learn a variety of career strategies from executive women. Thursday evening there's an online book party for Changing the World: True Stories of Women Engineers, just released during Engineers Week 2006. This is definitely not Oprah's book club.
The audience will have the opportunity for very personal conversations with experts in outreach. They can talk with a high school guidance counselor to learn the most effective way to promote engineering. They can also learn how to work with Girl Scouts – a session especially valuable for those who do not already have scout connections - and gain insight into what middle school girls think about engineering by talking with an all-girl team from the National Engineers Week Future City Competition.
For those interested in conversations outside U.S. borders, we have presenters from Scotland, China, Canada, UAE, Italy and Germany. There are also sessions being conducted in Spanish. Please alert your affiliates in these countries.
Click here for the most current topics listing and schedule. We'll talk to you soon!
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2. Engineers for a Sustainable World
Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) celebrated Engineers Week by launching the SUSTAIN! Campaign: Supporting Urban Sustainability Through Action and Information Now! Supporting the 2006 Eweek theme, "Engineers Make a World of Difference," ESW is mobilizing its members and chapters across the country to increase awareness of global sustainability issues and the role of engineering in building a better world.
During the Eweek kickoff, ESW chapters held screenings of the eye opening film, The End of Suburbia, which examines the current American way of life and how it affects the earth's future. Through panel discussions and campus energy-reducing initiatives, students across the country addressed resource consumption and other critical global challenges. As part of Engineers Week, ESW also launched the distribution of Sustainable Living Pocket Guides, sponsored by civil and environmental consulting firm ARUP. The two pocket guides, "Waste & Water" and "Energy Everyday" serve as informational tools to show community members – engineers and non-engineers alike – how they can make a difference through everyday action.
Established in 2002, ESW engages engineers in addressing some of the world's most critical challenges. In the past three years, the nonprofit organization has mobilized a network of over three thousand students and professionals who are working to increase access to clean water, energy, sanitation, and food security around the world. Learn more here
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3. Engineering Summer Camps Available
Do you know any bright high school students who will be entering the junior (Grade 11) or senior (Grade 12) grade next fall? Are they inquisitive learners with strong math and science aptitude? What about a teacher of high school math, science or technology, who is eager to teach and motivate young people in exciting new ways?
If so, you know a perfect candidate for the ASM Materials Camp, a program utilizing hands-on learning principles of applied math, chemistry and physics led by a distinguished world-class faculty. ASM Materials Camp-Teachers demonstrates how to use low/no cost, simple labs and experiments using everyday materials that can be integrated into existing science/math lesson plans. These simple activities and experiments are proven to actively engage students in learning more about applied science. Contact jeane.deatherage@asminternational.org or visit.online.
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4. In Local News
Riverdale (Oregon) High School students swept the team competition of the CH2M Hill/Oregon State University State Bridge Contest during Engineers Week and captured the top three individual spots, sending students to the national competition for the third straight year. There were more than 200 bridges in the state competition. Contact is Tessa Anderson at Tessa.Anderson@ch2m.com
Bridgestone Firestone in Wilson, North Carolina, hosted 15 local 9th-grade girls for experiments, meeting with engineers, listening to outside speakers, and empowering them with action ideas to utilize their skills. Contact is Michelle Schacht at schachtmichelle@bfusa.com
An engineer from Columbia now living in Stafford, Virginia, writes: El plan es incentivar a los ninos y ninas entre los 5 y 10 anos de edad con elementos didacticos que le faciliten el entendimiento de la ingenieria. Yo soy ingeniera Mecatronica de la Universidad Autonoma de Occidente cali - Colombia pero actualmente resido en Virginia. Pertenezco a la primera generacion de ingenieros mecatronicos de mi pais y soy la primera mujer con mi profesion en mi pais. mi meta es motivar a mas mujeres a que se enrolen en la profesion ya que conozco las ventajas que tenemos en el mercado.Contact Nathalia Galviz, nathaliagb@gmail.com
Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. in West Chicago, Illinois, hosted an after school event for girls in 5th through 8th grade. The students completed five hands-on experiments linked to specific engineering disciplines. The girls also took a factory tour. Jayne Beck at jayne.beck@siemens.com
General Dynamics AIS in Annapolis Junction, Maryland, had 49 11-14 year old girls representing Girl Scouts from four neighboring counties. There was an opening discussion on many of the ways engineering has changed lives, then the girls were split into 4 groups of 12 or 13 and moved through four 20- minute events. In addition to the activities, posters down a long hallway depicted women engineers from history. Some of these posters had obvious typographical errors planted as a bit of a contest to encourage the girls to examine them more closely. The evening ended with a short presentation by 3 women engineers on how they measured success in their work, in their communities and in their families followed by a brief Q&A session. The girls also had their pictures taken as the entered and were given posters featuring their name and face similar to the hall of fame posters. One student commented, "Thank you for the program on engineering. It was very nice to visit your offices and learn about all of those great women who have made great strides in the field. I am now considering being an engineer. There is a program at Maryland U. in the summer for girls and my mom is going to look into sending me." Contact is J.R.(Sydd) Souza, sydd.souza@gd-ais.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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