Copyright (c) 2008
January 29, 2008 PLEASE FORWARD
The Inside Scoop on Marketing Engineering Education By Celeste Baine (celbaine@engineeringedu.com)
Note: We stand 100% behind the advertisements and content in this newsletter. If you have a problem with an advertiser or the content, please contact us and we will try to get it resolved. - Celeste Baine
Join the discussion at http://www.engineeringedu.com/forum/
In this issue===========================
- Introduction
- Announcements
- The NASA Problem
- Today's prize
- Coming to a town near you...
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INTRODUCTION
Happy Engineers Week (Feb 17-23)!
During Engineers Week last year, 40,000 engineers visited classrooms to share the world of engineering with students. Introduce a Girl to Engineering started several years ago and it is estimated that over 1 million girls have had the pleasure of learning about engineering first hand! Check out what is going on in your area by visiting http://www.eweek.org. If you don't have anything planned yet, there is still time. Call local engineering firms, local engineering society branch offices (IEEE, SWE, ASME, etc.) or local colleges or Universities to ask about possible activities, competitions or events. Get involved…you won't regret it.
If you are an engineer and don’t know what to say or do in a classroom, check out our "Engineers Week Solution Kits"
(http://engineeringedu.com/engineersweek.html). If you aren't familiar with Engineers Week, more information is available online at www.eweek.org.
Be sure to also check out our updated listing of Summer Camps!
Find it here: http://www.engineeringedu.com/summercamps.html
All EESC members should be receiving their latest care package any day now.
This month is really special as all of our members will be receiving my new Civil Engineering book (www.engineeringedu.com) published by Pitsco! This Pitsco Teacher's Guide provides students with a first experience in the field of civil engineering. Hands-on activities integrating science concepts, technology skills and tools, and mathematical processes provide contextual learning opportunities in a STEM environment. These activities parallel real-world engineering tasks and problem-solving opportunities.
Student procedures, worksheets, data tables, and other student-oriented materials are reproducible for distribution within the classroom. An overview of the civil engineering discipline provides students with a scope of the work that civil engineers do (for example, designing and building roads, bridges, buildings, tunnels, dams, highways, overpasses, and much more). Current salary information and various career paths within the field are also provided. It’s a $40 value at no cost for members. All members just sit back, relax and open their boxes of the most current engineering activities, books, presentations, DVDs, posters or promotional paraphernalia each month.
For more information, visit, http://engineeringedu.com/members/
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The EESC Membership
By becoming a member of the EESC, you can keep students absorbed in engineering projects and activities all year. It will save time and increase your productivity as you automatically build a library of resources. You will receive monthly "care packages" full of classroom or program resources such as classroom activities, books, DVDs, games, posters, give-aways, and much more, every single month. There isn't an easier way to amass resources that you can use at a moment's notice. Isn't it always better to have a great selection?
You'll also have access to a members only section of the Web site where we will build a community to help each other. You can obtain professional development credits, upload your own classroom activities and puzzles, download other people's, have your own blog, acquire your own engineeringedu email account, upload or download pictures, read or upload articles. You will also have unique opportunities to make valuable contacts with other engineering educators; Special offers and much more. New resources are being added every week!
Just visit http://engineeringedu.com/members for more information about becoming a member.
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EDVENTURES ROBOTICS CHALLENGE
With National Engineers Week in February, PCS Edventures is giving everyone the chance to participate in some engineering fun with an online Edventures Robotics Challenge (ERC). Build in your classroom, upload your solutions, and compete to win a hands-on robotics lab worth over $8,000! Get started with ERC Mini Challenges-- they're available now and are a perfect way for students to prepare for the main ERC in late February. Learn more about the ERC and other PCS engineering and robotics programs here:
http://www.edventures.com/erc
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Engineering Power Pack: A Career Presentation Bundle This unique and innovative set of 24 CD-ROMS featuring amazing engineering careers will allow any instructor, career center or library to exponentially increase student interest and retention in engineering! Each CD provides realistic information to enhance each student's ability to make informed career decisions. From aerospace to ocean to mechanical and biomedical, these disks are an excellent resource for any program that is working to stimulate interest in engineering.
This bundle allows the ultimate in flexibility. It includes:
• A fast-paced, self-running, highly visual student presentation on all 24
discs
• A fully editable teacher presentation (designed as a 20-minute
introduction to an engineering discipline) on all 24 discs
• Career handouts on each disc
• A three ring binder for easy organization and the flexibility to add
additional resources.
Disciplines covered:
• Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering
• Agricultural and Biological Engineering
• Architectural Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering Technology
• Chemical Engineering
• Civil Engineering and Civil Engineering Technology
• Computer Engineering and Computer Engineering Technology
• Electrical Engineering and Electrical Engineering Technology
• Engineering 101
• Entertainment Engineering
• Environmental Engineering
• Industrial Engineering
• Manufacturing Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering Technology
• Materials Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Technology
• Metallurgical and Mining Engineering
• Music Engineering
• Nano Engineering
• Nuclear Engineering
• Ocean Engineering
• Optical Engineering
• Software Engineering
• Sports Engineering
• Sustainability Engineering
Check it out! http://engineeringedu.com/store/powerpack.html
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The EESC 2008 Poster Contest
"Green Engineering" is the theme for the Engineering Education Service Center’s 2008 Poster contest. This year's winning entry can be found in a display of inspiration, excitement, wonder and curiosity. Posters should be fun, motivational and inspire students to pursue a degree in engineering, technology and/or science.
Engineering is humanitarian, caring and possibly the most effective, hands-on approach to make the world a better place. The engineering field can be very exciting. If you would like a career that allows you to help others on a grand scale or if you ever wanted to make the world a better place, then engineering has something for you!
Green Engineering is the design, commercialization and use of processes and products that are feasible and economical while minimizing the generation of pollution at the source and the risk to human health and the environment.
Green Engineers design for economic, environmental and social benefits.
Economic benefits include reduction in operating costs (i.e., energy and water efficiency, waste management, repair and improvement) and optimization of life- cycle economic performance. Environmental benefits include conservation of natural resources, increased use of renewable energy sources, improvements in air and water quality and reduction of solid waste generation. Social benefits include improved comfort and health, reduced impact on local resources and infrastructure, and use of recycled/reused materials. For more information, visit: www.epa.gov/oppt/greenengineering
Contest ends on February 15, 2008.
Grand Prize: $200.00 Cash, 2nd place: $100 Cash, 3rd place: $50 Cash, Honorable mentions to be awarded at judges’ discretion. All winners will also receive a certificate.
Contest Web site: http://engineeringedu.com/contest.htm
To download a printable flyer:
http://engineeringedu.com/EESCpostercontest2008.pdf
To see past winning posters, visit: http://engineeringedu.com/store/#posters
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Looking for an introductory activity for robotic engineering? Consider Pitsco's T-Bot, a syringe-powered robot arm - only $39.95. Students assemble the laser-cut basswood pieces, syringes, and tubing - then marvel at the hydraulic action and reaction of the T-Bot as they control their robot through syringes.
See it in action at www.pitsco.com/tbot
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THE NASA PROBLEM
Last October I had the privilege of seeing the Space Shuttle Discovery launch at Banana Creek in Florida. In exchange for this treat, I attended an all-day educational conference hosted by NASA. NASA is working to build a rocket to go to the moon. On the moon, they want to build a launch pad to go to Mars. That's a lot of engineering! This will require Astronauts to spend up to six months at a time on the Moon. However, there is concern that kids aren't interested in the space program. Most people don't even know about NASA's future plans.
All day, I listened and everyone exchanged ideas about the best ways to address the problem. I hope they follow through on even half of the ideas provided.
Last week, I visited the NASA AMES facility at Moffett Field in California.
The AMES facility has the largest wind tunnel in the US (and maybe the world). It's 80' x 120' and has it's own power grid so they don't give regular brown-outs to the local neighborhoods (it is estimated that the wind tunnel uses something close to $1000/minute in electricity!) Engineers and scientists are doing absolutely fantastic work at AMES! However, what struck me as odd was the gray landscape. As I was driving through the campus I saw very flat and rectangular buildings with drab exteriors. The buildings looked very old, there was no color and the environment was extremely structured. You'd never know anything exciting was going on and you'd never know that anyone doing exciting work was inside.
At the NASA conference last October, one of the ideas to recruit was to offer tours of the different facilities. If I were a kid that watched TV, surfed the Internet and enjoyed seeing color, I'd have no interest in working there. When we are young, it’s very rare to choose a career where all the excitement of working is cerebral. Middle school students often choose careers based on who they know, how it looks and how they think it will make them feel. They want to see themselves in the role (especially girls). In the NASA case described above, a student might be better off visualizing themselves in the rocket engineer role from books, clips of Apollo 13 or the The Right Stuff and the Discovery Channel instead of actually visiting the research facility. At least until they are older and more secure in their decisions.
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TODAY'S PRIZE
The prize this issue is really easy. If you are doing an Engineers Week event or activity, just send me a description of what you are doing with the subject heading "Happy Engineers Week" and I'll send you a free "Engineers Rule!" pin for your event. Be sure to include your snail mail address.
If you have won a prize in previous contests but haven't received it, please drop me a note and I will take care of it.
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Celeste Baine - Coming to a town near you...
January 15, 2008 - Arlington, VA
February 20, 2007 - Charlotte, NC
February 28-29, 2008 - Florence, SC
March 27-31, 2008 - Boston, MA
For more information about my speaking engagements or teacher workshops
visit: www.engineeringedu.com/pw/
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