Engineers Week 2008 will be celebrated February 17 – 23, and is co-chaired by the Chinese Institute of Engineers (CIE)–USA and IBM Corporation. Feel free to forward this letter or contents to other interested parties.

Contents:
1. The Results Are In
2. Engineers Week in San Jose in December
3. Design Squad Outreach Grants Available

1.The Results Are In!
The Design Squad television show and outreach materials are making an impact!  An independent evaluation has found:

After viewing four Design Squad episodes, fifth and sixth grade students:

• increased their understanding of the design process;
• changed their stereotypes about engineering - for the better;
• and wanted to enroll in an engineering afterschool program. 

After facilitating the activities in the Design Squad Educator's Guide, afterschool leaders:

• showed a greater understanding of the design process;
• felt more comfortable talking about engineering;
• and wanted to use the activities again!

Click here to see the evaluation executive summary.   Know others interested in Design Squad or perhaps those who should be?  We welcome you to pass along these findings to get others excited about engineering!

2. Engineers Week in San Jose in December
On December 4, the National Engineers Week Foundation and 2008 co-chairs IBM and CIE-USA will sponsor a meeting for current and future Engineers Week partnerships in the San Jose/San Francisco region.  The meeting is hosted by The Tech Museum in San Jose.  Registration begins at 9:30, the meeting starts at 10 and is followed by an informal luncheon and networking opportunity at noon. In addition to presentations by the Foundation, CIE-USA, and IBM, guests will hear from other organizations engaged locally, nationally and globally in Engineers Week.  We intend for participants to take away knowledge and enthusiasm about Engineers Week programs as well as contacts for collaboration.  If you are interested in representing your organization at this meeting, please email asquire@nspe.org.  Registration is free but space is limited.

3. Design Squad Outreach Grants Available
Through the support of the United Engineering Foundation (UEF), grants are now available to support the implementation of outreach programs and events in association with the newly televised PBS series Design Squad.  Grants may also be used to conduct training workshops for engineers and/or educators using Design Squad resources.  Programs must be multidisciplinary in nature and the grant recipient must contribute direct or indirect matching funds.  Download applications at http://www.asce.org/kids/ or email outreach@asce.org.  Deadline to apply is Friday, November 30, 2007.

To learn more about Design Squad, visit http://pbskids.org/designsquad/

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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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