Discover Engineering National Engineers Week (E-Week) was a great success again this year, as exciting events took place across the country from 17-23 February. E-Week celebrates engineers and the way they change the world, bringing engineering to life with museum exhibits, science competitions, and mentorship programs.
The festivities kicked off on 16 February with Discover Engineering Family Day at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. Now in its 27th year, Family Day introduces children to the joy and wonders of engineering with hands-on activities that are both educational and fun. IEEE-USA volunteers and staff ran a very popular booth, helping more than 600 children build and fly rockets powered by Alka Seltzer tablets in homage to the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
Discover Engineering’s Future City finals were held in D.C., as well. More than 40,000 middle school students from across the country and abroad participated in regional competitions– imagining, researching, designing, and building model cities to overcome today’s urban challenges. The 43 winning teams descended on the nation’s capital to present their vision of the city of tomorrow.
The grand prize this year went to students from Warwick Middle School in Lititz, Pennsylvania, for their rendition of a future Toyama, Japan. Teams may also win special awards, including the IEEE-USA award for Most Advanced Smart Grid. Congratulations to the team from Gratton School in Fuente de Vida, California, for winning that honor this year!
And rounding out Engineers Week, Girl Day helps focus a growing movement to inspire girls’ futures, and teach that they can engineer a better world. Volunteers organized Girl Day events across the country to share their knowledge and passion, helping to empower girls to consider careers in engineering.
If you missed E-Week this year, the fun and learning don’t have to end! Discover Engineering offers resources, training, videos, and other materials to create your own event throughout the year. To promote your event, or to find others to participate in, visit the Discover Engineering events calendar.
Corey Ruth is IEEE-USA’s media relations associate.
