EWeek 2007 ENews #7 – November 16, 2006
Engineers Week 2007 will be celebrated February 18 – 24, 2007.
Feel free to forward this letter or contents to other interested parties.
Contents:
1. Design Squad Education Outreach to Introduce Young Students to Engineering
2. Advertise at the Movies
3. 2007 Future City Competition Regional Information
1. Design Squad Education Outreach to Introduce Young Students to Engineering
Design Squad, a new, live-action reality TV series that debuts nationwide on PBS stations during Engineers Week 2007, aims to introduce nine- to 13-year-olds and their families to the engineering design process. It's an ambitious goal, but one that received a solid boost last week when more than 100 leaders from dozens of Engineers Week partner organizations met at the National Academy of Engineering in Washington, D.C., to launch the program's educational outreach with a Design Squad Training Summit.
The day-long summit launches a broad effort to begin training hundreds more volunteers across the country to coordinate teaching materials, hands-on activities and Web resources to strengthen the show's message by directly involving thousands of students. The attendees in Washington will now move to the regional leaders who will, in turn, reach out locally.
In the show, each week two teams of high school students use their problem-solving skills to design, construct, and test an intriguing, fully operational and, typically, off-beat engineering project. In one segment, teams design and create new musical instruments for an actual rock band to amp up and play – one a string instrument with a range of at least one octave, and the other, a percussion instrument that produces two distinct, if not altogether soothing, sounds. Or, teams battle it out to see who can make the fastest dragster created from children's toys such as wagons and tricycles. In the kind of action that specifically appeals to the target audience, the teams then race their creations on a real drag strip.
Hands-on activities that work in conjunction with each episode will play an integral role in the outreach campaign. Along with the drag racing episode, for example, Design Squad workshop activities call for the construction of a model car that runs on wound-up rubber bands.
That nod to NASCAR, "American Idol," and other popular trends promises a message that connects to middle school students, while hands-on activities spark kids' imaginations and make them feel comfortable with the notion of engineering and technology, says Thea Sahr, manager of special initiatives at WGBH Boston, the PBS affiliate that created and produced the program.
Major funding for Design Squad is provided by the National Science Foundation and the Intel Foundation. Cathleen Barton, US Education Manager for Intel Corporation, told participants, "Engineers Week helps us focus on engineering and its critical role in maintaining U.S. competitiveness. Now, it is bringing that focus to children and their families in partnership with WGBH and Design Squad. Intel is very pleased to be a major partner and sponsor, along with the NSF and other supporters, of Engineers Week and Design Squad which will excite kids about the possibilities of engineering, of changing lives, and improving the world."
For more information, click on the Design Squad button
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2. Advertise at the Movies
"Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day" is Thursday, February 22, 2007. You can advertise your Girl Day or other outreach programs at local movie theaters. Pre-movie advertisements are a great way to reach an audience of thousands, including children and parents.
The 2007 Girl Day movie ad is a fully animated video with voiceover. Click here to view the 15-second videoor for more information. The National Engineers Week Foundation can create this ad with your organization's information and voiceover.
It couldn't be easier and the price is right. We create the ad. Your organization pays only for the screen space: $27.50 per screen per week, four-week minimum. The price will vary according to the number of screens in the multiplex theater.
To guarantee screen space during this busy pre-Oscar time, you must indicate your interest in the Girl Day Movie Campaign by Friday, December 1.Tell us the city or area where you want your ad to run and we will provide you with a list of participating theaters. Then, you make the choice of multiplex theater(s). (You must buy the entire multiplex, not individual screens within the multiplex.)
Contact Don Lehr at dblehr@cs.com by December 1 to indicate your interest in the "Girl Day Movie Campaign."
This offer is not available everywhere, so let us know of your interest immediately. We will then need confirmed commitment and copy for your ad by Friday, December 15th. The ad can begin either Friday, January 26 or Friday, February 2 for a four-week period.
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3. 2007 Future City Competition Regional Information
The dates and locations of the 38 National Engineers Week Future City Competition regional contests are now posted online. Contact coordinators in your region for volunteer and sponsorship opportunities. The National Finals will be held February 19 - 21, 2007, at the Hyatt Regency-Capitol Hill, Washington, DC.
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Founded in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers, Engineers Week (February 18-24, 2007) 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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