From eweek.org
Engineers perform outstanding work in their everyday lives,
and a new generation is proving that they, too, have important
contributions to give to the world.
In recognition of their efforts, the second annual “New
Faces of Engineering” will be unveiled during National
Engineers Week 2004. From developing new ways to test jet
fighters using computer models, to distributing oral rabies
vaccines to wildlife, these young women and men are offering
innovative solutions to critical social needs.
New Faces of Engineering, launched in 2003, underscores
the excitement and wonder of engineering and provides inspiration
and incentive for college-level students and other young people
considering engineering careers.
Nominees come from industry and academia and are placed
in consideration by engineering societies on the National
Engineers Week Committee. They must hold an engineering degree,
be employed as an engineer from two to five years, and have
been involved in projects that significantly impact public
welfare or further professional development and growth.
The 12 outstanding individuals chosen for New Faces will
be featured in USA Today during National Engineers Week, and
all New Faces nominees will be highlighted on the National
Engineers Week website at www.eweek.org
.
The second major program for 2004 will establish a global,
web-based dialogue among engineering students, young professionals,
business leaders. Connecting the World to Engineering, spearheaded
by Fluor, co-chair of 2004 National Engineers Week along with
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE
/ IEEE-USA), will encourage and maintain interest in engineering
for engineering undergraduates.
While many engineering societies already host professional
and technical forums, Connecting the World to Engineering
is the first engineering initiative for global linkage across
countries, business and academia, and engineering disciplines.
Connecting the World Internet forums will launch during
National Engineers Week on Monday, Feb. 23 and continue through
the year. As part of the “connecting,” prominent
corporate leaders will also host teleconference discussions
that week on the latest issues and developments with engineering
societies and their student sections, along with university
and corporate partners.
National Engineers Week, founded in 1951 by the National
Society of Professional Engineers and sponsored by more than
100 engineering, scientific, and education societies, and
major corporations, is dedicated to increasing public awareness
and appreciation of engineering and to promoting pre-college
interest in math, science, and engineering as a career option.
Engineers Week is celebrated annually by thousands of engineers,
engineering students, teachers, and leaders in government
and business.
New Faces and Connecting the World are two of the many programs
taking center stage during National Engineers Week 2004, which
will see the return of a wide array of events, including:
• The fourth annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering
Day – Thursday, February 26. In only a few short years,
this has become the largest career outreach to girls by any
single profession.
This year, more than 125 organizations will mobilize 11,000
women engineers, along with their male colleagues, to actively
reach out to an estimated one million girls on "Girl
Day" and throughout the year.
Information on how to participate, along with resources
for volunteers, are available at the National Engineers Week
web site at www.eweek.org
.
Organizations and engineers are urged to list their activities
on the 2004 Pledge Roster at the site. It's all part of a
nationwide effort to help make educational and career opportunities
and mentoring programs available for girls and prospective
women engineers everywhere. The program is led by IEEE / IEEE-USA
with major sponsors Agilent Technologies, Inc., and the Elizabeth
and Stephen Bechtel, Jr. Foundation.
• The National Engineers Week Future City CompetitionTM,
now in its 12th year, expands to 34 regions across America.
This is the largest engineering educational outreach program
in the country and one of the largest educational outreach
programs of any kind. In Future City, students work under
the guidance of teachers and volunteer engineers to build
computer and three-dimensional scale models of cities of tomorrow.
Students present their designs before a panel of engineer
judges at the competition, and write an essay – this
year's topic is improving the lives of senior citizens through
the use of plastic products or services. Work begins in the
fall and culminates at regional competitions in January. First
place regional teams win a trip to Washington for national
finals, Feb. 23-25, 2004. For more information, visit
www.futurecity.org
.
• The Sightseers Guide to Engineering (www.engineeringsights.org),
created by the National Society of Professional Engineers
in 2001, continues to grow in popularity. Celebrating engineering
marvels from the subtle to the spectacular in all 50 states,
the site invites the public to recognize and appreciate the
achievements of America's engineers, from bridges in North
Dakota to seawalls in Texas to the Statehouse of Rhode Island
and a roller coaster in Florida. Visitors can also submit
their own favorites to add to the lists.
• Another website, discoverengineering.org, launched
in 1999, is also still growing. Targeted to middle school
students on the how and why of becoming an engineer, the site
uses such wonders of engineering as advanced sports gear and
the technology of bottling soft drinks to pique the interests
of young people, and includes hundreds of links to related
educational, professional, and corporate sites.
• The National Academy of Engineering will present
the annual $500,000 Charles Stark Draper Prize, the profession's
highest honor for engineering achievement and innovation,
and the annual Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering
and Technology Education, also valued at $500,000. Both awards
will be given at a black-tie dinner on Tuesday, Feb. 24. For
more information, visit www.nae.edu/awards.
• Visioneering 2004: Security of the Future will be
taped at a live event at Southern Methodist University in
Dallas on Saturday, Feb. 7 and broadcast nationwide to up
to eight million students on Friday, Feb. 27 on Cable Channel
One. Visioneering is sponsored by the SMU School of Engineering
and SMU's Institute for Engineering Education. For more information,
visit http://theinstitute.smu.edu/visioneering.html
• The Chinese Institute of Engineers (CIE/USA) will
announce the third annual Asian American Engineer of the Year
Award, recognizing outstanding Asian American professionals
in academia, public service, and corporations, on Feb. 28.
For more information, visit www.cie-usa.org
• Results from the "Americans' Perspectives on
Engineering" survey, conducted by Harris Interactive
for the American Association of Engineering Societies, will
be released during National Engineers Week.
• A Drive-Time Radio Tour on Tuesday, Feb. 24 will
highlight the New Faces of Engineering program, Introduce
a Girl to Engineering Day, the Future City Competition, and
other EWeek activities in top listener markets across the
country.
• ZOOM Into Engineering Family Festival at the National
Building Museum in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, Feb. 21 will
again feature activities for thousands of children and their
families. More than 5,000 attended last year's festivities.
• Discover "E," a nationwide program aimed
at K-12 students, continues to provide thousands of engineers
with quality educational materials to help them reach more
than five million students and teachers every year through
classroom visits and extracurricular programs during National
Engineers Week and all of 2004.