America Gets Ready to Celebrate Engineering (373)
(NewsUSA) - February 19-25, 2012, is Engineers Week, or EWeek, a celebration of the engineering profession and a focal point for public awareness programs showcasing engineering and technology. This national event is held each year during the week of President George Washington's Birthday; many consider George Washington to be the nation's first engineer.
Schools, corporations, museums, government and media groups and technical organizations across the country will join together in the outreach effort, sponsoring various programs and activities to spotlight engineering and promote careers in the field.
A focus of EWeek 2012 will be science, technology, engineering and math education awareness, better known as STEM education, and many organizations will carry out programs that aim to create visibility for the profession in the precollege education sector. For instance, ASME (the American Society of Mechanical Engineers) will conduct the Inspire Innovation workshop, which will bring together engineers and K-12 teachers for a daylong program of fun, enrichment and knowledge-sharing.
"A thrust of the workshop is to motivate K-12 students to consider careers in the engineering profession, and also to inspire K-12 teachers to incorporate engineering into lesson plans as well as learn about tools and resources that can influence effective classroom instruction," said Victoria A. Rockwell, the president of ASME.
In another Engineers Week 2012 program, ASME is launching the "DiscoverE Educator Recognition Awards" to teachers in grades 6-12 who demonstrate success in inspiring students to discover engineering. The awards will be presented in Washington, D.C., site of other EWeek events, including the Future City competition.
While the nation's capital will host several Engineers Week 2012 activities, towns and communities everywhere are encouraged to join in the celebration. Other staples of Engineers Week include "Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day" and the announcement of the "New Faces of Engineering," which features rising stars of the profession.
Experts believe that the United States is facing a shortage of scientific and engineering talent and skills required to develop next-generation technologies enabling the U.S. to compete in the global market. Engineers Week goes a long way toward solving this problem, while also celebrating the many ways that engineers and engineering contribute to the betterment of our quality of life across the world. For information, visit www.asme.org.