Globalization And The Internet Come Together For A New International Engineering Dialogue

On February 23, the world’s first truly international web-based dialogue among engineering students, young professionals, and business leaders – Connecting the World to Engineering – will launch as part of National Engineers Week 2004. Connecting the World, on the National Engineers Week website at www.eweek.org, is spearheaded by the Fluor Corporation, co-chair of 2004 National Engineers Week along with The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) / IEEE-USA.

The new program, designed specifically to encourage and maintain career interest for engineering undergraduates, underscores two powerful trends in the profession: the expanding global marketplace of ideas, and the Internet as the preferred vehicle for sharing those ideas. While many engineering societies already host professional and technical forums, Connecting the World to Engineering is the first to link business, academia, and engineering disciplines from around the globe.

Connecting the World offers two main components – web-based forums and live teleconferences. The forums launch on Monday, February 23 and will continue through the year, addressing a variety of engineering disciplines and issues, each moderated by a leading professional in that specialty. Forums include:

• Chemical Engineering
• Civil Engineering in the Air Force
• Electrical & Electronics Engineering
• Engineering for Sustainability
• Engineering Professionalism, Ethics and Licensure
• How to Become a Licensed Engineer
• Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
• Industrial Engineers in Health Care
• Manufacturing Engineering: Made in USA – Future Careers, Prospects and Strategies in Manufacturing Industries
• Naval Engineering / Architecture
• Oil and Gas Industry
• Systems Engineering
• Women in Engineering

Part Two of "Connecting" involves prominent corporate leaders hosting teleconferences throughout the year that delve into the latest issues and developments with engineering societies and their student sections, along with university and corporate partners.

The first Connecting teleconference on Tuesday, February 24, at 10 AM Eastern time features Alan Boeckmann, chairman and CEO of Fluor, addressing "Engineering in the 21st Century." Joseph V. Lillie, lead National Engineers Week volunteer for IEEE/IEEE-USA, will serve as moderator. Boeckmann will cover the emergence of a globalized engineering workforce from the integration of systems, its implications for tomorrow's engineering professionals, and the skill sets required to be a successful engineer in the 21st Century. Boeckmann will also offer a personal perspective on how he grew from an electrical engineer to become the leader of one of the industry's most prestigious companies. Following his presentation, students will be able to ask questions and participate in a discussion.

The teleconference will draw students from universities around the world including the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; the University of Pretoria, South Africa; Texas A&M University, USA; and the University of Surrey, Great Britain. A transcript of the teleconference will be available at www.eweek.org in early March.

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National Engineers Week, founded in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers, is dedicated to increasing public awareness and appreciation of the engineering profession and technology and to encouraging pre-college interest in engineering. It is celebrated by thousands of engineers, engineering students, teachers and leaders in government and business. Visit National Engineers Week at www.eweek.org.

Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR) provides services on a global basis in the fields of engineering, procurement, construction, operations, maintenance and project management. Headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, Fluor is a Fortune 500 company with revenues of $10 billion in 2002. For more information, visit www.fluor.com.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) promotes the engineering process of creating, developing, integrating, sharing, and applying knowledge about electro and information technologies and sciences for the benefit of humanity and the profession. Visit www.ieee.org.