Engineers Week resources online

The focus on Engineers Week 2008 is to call attention to the importance of engineering as a career and its impact on everyday life. As part of the programs scheduled for February 17-23, sponsors have created a number of online tools engineers and employers can use in their own community to reach out to prospective engineering students.

By Consulting-Specifying Engineer staff February 18, 2008

The focus on Engineers Week 2008 is to call attention to the importance of engineering as a career and its impact on everyday life. As part of the programs scheduled for February 17-23, sponsors have created a number of online tools engineers and employers can use in their own community to reach out to prospective engineering students.

One focus is on diversity. The New Faces in Engineering program celebrates the diversity that already exists in engineering while encouraging others to consider engineering as a career choice.

Other programs include:

The “Global Marathon For, By and About Women in Engineering,” a 24-hour Internet and teleconference event scheduled for March 20-21 at the Engineers Week web site www.eweek.org . Created by the National Engineers Week Foundation in 2005, the Global Marathon is co-sponsored by Lenovo and Verizon Business

The eighth annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, Thursday, Feb. 21. Thousands of women engineers mentor and share firsthand experiences of engineering to more than one million girls and young women on “Girl Day” and throughout the year

DiscoverE provides more than 45,000 engineers with educational materials to work with 5.5 million students and teachers during extracurricular programs and in classroom visits to elementary, middle and secondary schools. Translations of hands-on activity materials in French, German, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish are available at www.eweek.org/site/international/index.shtml

The National Academy of Engineering ( www.nae.edu ) presents its annual awards, including the $500,000 Draper Prize, and the 2008 Founders and Arthur M. Bueche Awards at a gala dinner in Washington on Tuesday, Feb. 19. The annual Asian American Engineer of the Year Awards, sponsored by the Chinese Institute of Engineers-USA ( www.cie-usa.org ) will recognize outstanding Asian American professionals in academe, public service and corporations at its awards dinner in March

The Sightseers Guide to Engineering ( www.engineeringsights.org ), constantly updated with new information on engineering achievements in all 50 states, and www.discoverengineering.org , an engineering resource for middle school students with links to educational, professional and corporate sites.

Information on all Engineers Week programs and events can be found at www.eweek.org .