"New Faces of Engineering" Goes International; "Connecting the World to
Engineering" Features Web-Based Forums and Teleconferences
It's a big world after all.
Underscoring a decisive recognition of the globalization of professional
engineering, National Engineers Week 2004, February 22-28, co-chaired by
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE / IEEE-USA)
and the Fluor Corporation, celebrates the international engineering
community with two key programs.
New Faces of Engineering, developed in 2003 to showcase rising young
stars in America's engineering profession, has expanded to include
engineers from around the world. By promoting contributions of young
engineers and their benefits to people worldwide, New Faces provides
stimulation and incentive for college-level students and encourages
younger students to consider engineering careers.
The second major program for 2004, Connecting the World to Engineering,
spearheaded by Fluor, establishes a global dialogue with a new web-based
communication and discussion vehicle for engineering students, young
professionals, and business leaders, targeted at engineering
undergraduates to stoke and maintain interest in their chosen careers.
"As National Engineers Week enters its second half century, it is
staking out a bold new profile, one that draws on the latest technology
and spotlights individuals at the cutting edge of a profession
responsible for revolutionary achievements at every level of society in
every part of the world," said Joseph V. Lillie, chair of National
Engineers Week 2004 and IEEE's lead EWeek volunteer. "The highest goals
and aspirations of engineers require all of us to ensure the vitality
and prosperity of our profession. That is the message at the heart of
National Engineers Week."
New Faces of Engineering and Connecting the World give that message
substance, Lillie says, and confirm EWeek's commitment to the broad
spectrum of engineering today.
All National Engineers Week sponsoring societies may nominate candidates
for New Faces from industry and academia. Nominees 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 Top 16 New
Faces will be featured in USA Today during National Engineers Week, with
all nominees included on the EWeek website at www.eweek.org.
Nominations should be submitted to Kelly Cunningham at klcpr@bellatlantic.net
by Friday, October 31.
Connecting the World online discussion forums will explore electrical,
civil, mechanical and other engineering disciplines, industries such as
aerospace, IT, and chemical, and opportunities in geographical locations
all over the Earth. During National Engineers Week, prominent corporate
leaders will also host teleconference discussions on the latest issues
and developments with engineering societies and their student sections,
along with university and corporate partners.
National Engineers Week will also see the return of a wide array of
events that have proven extraordinarily popular. Introduce a Girl to
Engineering Day, now in its fourth year, is slated for February 26,
2004. One of the week's star activities encourages engineers --
particularly women engineers -- to make the world of engineering come
alive for girls. Since its inception, an estimated one million girls
have experienced engineering firsthand each year, with more than 110
organizations participating in 2003. Programs ranged from 20 girls
working with members of the National Society of Black Engineers' North
Carolina State University chapter to 3,000 girls reached by the New York
State Department of Transportation in Poughkeepsie.
The National Engineers Week Future City CompetitionTM returns for its
12th year and expands to 36 regional sites. In 2003, more than 30,000
middle school students in more than 1,000 schools from 31 regions joined
in what has become one of the nation's largest engineering education
programs and one of the most successful educational outreach programs of
any kind. In all, more than 125,000 students have participated, learning
the potential of careers in engineering, math and science through
hands-on applications. Notably, 7,500 engineers volunteer 225,000
service hours annually to the competition.
Future City invites students, working under the guidance of teachers and
volunteer engineers, to build computer and three-dimensional scale
models of cities of tomorrow. Students defend 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. Students begin work in the fall and
participate in regional competitions in January. First place regional
teams win a trip to Washington for national finals February 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 draw fans. Celebrating engineering marvels from subtle to
spectacular in all 50 states, the site invites the public to recognize
and appreciate the achievements of America's engineers. Visitors can
even submit their own favorites.
Another website, discoverengineering.org, launched in 1999, is also
still going strong. With information targeted to middle school students
on the how and why of becoming an engineer, the site uses such wonders
of engineering as roller coasters and CD players to pique the interests
of young people and includes hundreds of links to related educational,
professional, and corporate sites.
A further outreach to young people is DiscoverE. Aimed at K-12, it
continues to provide thousands of engineers with quality educational
materials that help them reach more than five million students and
teachers every year through classroom visits and extracurricular
programs.
Of special importance during National Engineers Week 2004 will be
Visioneering 2004: Security of the Future, taped in early February and
scheduled for broadcast nationwide to up to eight million students on
February 27 on Cable Channel One, sponsored by the SMU School of
Engineering and SMU's Institute for Engineering Education.
EWeek 2004 will also see the presentation of several engineering
achievement awards, including the third annual Asian American Engineer
of the Year Award, given by the Chinese Institute of Engineers/USA and
recognizing outstanding Asian American professionals in academe, public
service and corporations. Dr. Samuel Ting and Dr. Chih-tang Sah shared
top honors in 2003. For more information, visit www.cie-usa.org
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 biennial Bernard M.
Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education,
also valued at $500,000, at a black-tie dinner on February 24. The 2003
Draper Prize went to Ivan A. Getting and Bradford W. Parkinson for their
individual efforts in the development of the Global Positioning System.
For more information, visit www.nae.edu/awards.
Information on these and all other National Engineers Week programs and
events is available at www.eweek.org.
Donald LehrThe Nolan/Lehr Group(212) 967-8200 / dblehr@cs.com