Upcoming EWeek Events Highlight the Value and Impact of Engineering

Although Engineers Week 2015 is officially scheduled to take place from Feb. 22 to 28, the celebration has expanded far beyond that one week. DiscoverE, the organization that manages Engineers Week, has organized a lineup of events that begins next week with the Future City Competition finals and continues into March with the three-day Global Marathon event for women in engineering and technology.

This year, the festivities will kick off a few days before the official start of Engineers Week with the championship round of the Future City Competition, which will be held Feb. 17-19 at the Capital Hilton in Washington D.C. For this year’s competition, teams of sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders from across the U.S. were asked to design and build a model of a futuristic urban farm community. The winners of the regional competitions will present their Future Cities at the finals, where they will compete for the first prize — a trip to the U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala. — as well as a number of other special awards, including the Best Futuristic City Award from ASME. For more information on the Future City Competition, visit http://futurecity.org.

The finalists for the Professional and College Editions of DiscoverE’s New Faces of Engineering program will be announced during a one-hour webinar, “Volunteerism = Professional Development,” on Feb. 19. New Faces-Professional Edition highlights the innovative work of early career engineers up to the age of 30 and their impact on society, while New Faces-College Edition recognizes engineering students for their successes both inside and outside of the classroom. ASME’s three candidates for each of the New Faces categories will be announced in the next issue of ASME News. The official winners in each category will be announced April 2. Click here to register for the Feb. 19 webinar. For more details on the New Faces program, visit www.discovere.org/our-programs/awards-and-recognition.

One of the highlights of Engineers Week, Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day on Feb. 26, will encompass hundreds of events taking place across the United States. These workshops, lab tours, online discussions, and hands-on projects at companies, universities and other locations will give young women the chance to experience the excitement of engineering and learn about engineering careers from women who work in the profession. To learn more and watch a short video about Girl Day, visit www.discovere.org/our-programs/girl-day.

Another Engineers Week staple, Family Day in Washington, D.C., will take place on Feb. 28. The event, which will be held at the National Building Museum, will feature nearly 30 exhibitors presenting hands-on and thought-provoking activities exploring basic science and engineering principles. The daylong event, which attracts thousands of attendees each year, is designed to introduce students between the ages of four and 12 to the wonder of engineering and the importance of technological literacy. To learn more, visit www.engineeringfamilyday.org.

The celebration of engineering doesn’t end on Feb. 28, however. From March 9 to 11, DiscoverE will present the 2015 Global Marathon, a free, online event for women in engineering and technology worldwide. The event, which coincides with International Women’s Day, will consist of a globally connected group of live webcasts as well as locally organized, in-person satellite events taking place throughout the world. Scheduled webcast speakers include Megan Smith of the United States Office of Science and Technology Policy, as well as representatives from DuPont, Fluor Corp., 3M and IBM.

This year, each of the three days will focus on a specific theme: “New Horizons for Women in Engineering and Technology” on March 9, “Your Horizon: Finding Perspective” on March 10, and “Explore Your Next Horizon” on March 11. To learn more about the Global Marathon, or to register, visit www.discovere.org/our-programs/global-marathon.

DiscoverE is currently accepting nominations for another program, the 2015 DiscoverE Educator Awards, which recognizes the work of middle- and high-school teachers who are inspiring the next generation of engineers. Up to three winners will receive a trip to Washington, D.C., for a recognition event in June, a $2,000 cash prize, and a gift pack of 3M classroom supplies. The deadline for nominations is March 16, and the winning teachers will be notified in April. For additional information or to submit a nomination, visit www.discovere.org/our-programs/awards-and-recognition/nominate-someone.

To find out more about Engineers Week and its schedule of events, visit the DiscoverE website at www.discovere.org/our-programs/engineers-week.