Engineers Week—New England 2012: February 16th and 17th

by Aleece D’Onofrio, PE, Engineer, Fay, Spofford & Thorndike (FST)

 

Engineers Week, founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers in 1951, is one of the nation’s oldest professional outreach programs, and it is still prominent today. The National Engineers Week Foundation is a recognized association consisting of over 100 corporations, government agencies, engineering, education and cultural societies all with the same goal in mind—raising engineering awareness. One of the goals of Engineers Week is getting teachers, parents and students to recognize the significance of a technical background. Gaining a background consisting of an advanced math and science education will encourage America’s youth to pursue a career in engineering. Engineers Week 2012 will be celebrated nationally from February 19th through February 25th.

 

Engineers Week—New England is associated with the National Foundation but will be taking place on February 16th and 17th in downtown Boston at the Radisson Hotel. Boston Engineers Week is a two-day event packed with activities for both youth and professionals in an effort to showcase the engineering industry.

 

Thursday, February 16th, kicks off with engineering activities for the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students of the Mario Umana Middle School Academy in East Boston. These 40 students have been invited to participate in design challenges and activities from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM.

 

At 3:00 PM a free workshop will be offered, Now Go Nail the Job!—How to Make Career Fair Connections Pay Off. Leading the session is Bridget Aureli, Co-op Advisor at Wentworth Institute of Technology, and former recruiter at OSRAM SYLVANIA. She will offer helpful hints and follow up tips with recruiters. This workshop will be offered again during the Career Fair at 4:00 PM.

 

At 4:00 PM. the Career Fair will open up to the public and engineering students. Local participating companies will utilize tabletop displays and will be available to answer questions and provide information about their firms to attendees. Companies currently scheduled to participate include: FM Global, Alarm.com, GZA GeoEnvironmental, Gale Associates, Weston & Sampson, Fay, Spofford & Thorndike, HNTB Corporation, Stantec Consulting Services, STV Incorporated, MathWorks, and CDM Smith. BSCES members will be present to discuss membership benefits, as these societies offer opportunities for volunteer leadership, networking and professional development.

 

Friday, February 17th, kicks off with a Reception and Outreach Fair. It focuses on engineering outreach and community service to increase interest in these non-profit organizations. Attendees will be able to meet the sponsors of Engineers Week.

 

From 12:00 to 2:00PM awards presented at the luncheon include:

 

New England Achievement Award—The 2012 recipient is Anna Mracek Dietrich, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of Terrafugia.

 

Engineers Week New England Scholarship—This $5,000 scholarship is awarded to a student pursuing an education in engineering. The 2012 recipient is Kaitlyn Nicole Whyte, a senior at North Andover High School, who plans to study biomedical engineering.

 

New England Regional Future City Competition Awards—The Regional Future City Competition was held on January 21, 2012 at the Northeastern University Student Center. Students are assigned the task of designing a computer city using Sim City Software, building a scale model of a portion of the city, writing an essay describing their city and presenting their city to a panel of Judges. This year, The Bancroft School of Worcester, MA will be representing New England in the national finals. Congratulations to Team Peraditi’s 8th grade students; Jacqueline Barnes, Aurea De Souza, Sarah Kotin and Kathryn Price; Teacher, Sarah Williams; and Mentor, Alyson Stuer.

 

Model Bridge Competition Awards—The Model Bridge Competition will be held on February 4th, 2012 at the Northeastern University Curry Student Center. Students will construct a bridge out of Starbucks coffee stirrers and Elmer’s white glue following a set of specifications. Similar to the 2011 Competition, the point of loading will not be announced until the bridges are on the judges table on the day of the 2012 Competition.

 

MathCounts Competition Awards—The Metro Chapter MathCounts Competition will also be held on February 4th, 2012 at Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School. Middle school students within the Metro district will compete in this annual math competition. The competition consists of both written and oral rounds with both individual and team components. The winning team and individual will move onto the State Competition, which will be held in March.

 

During National Engineers Week, the BSCES Younger Member Group (YMG) will host their annual Networking event and Billiards Tournament on February 23rd at Boston Beer Works on Canal Street in Boston. This event encourages professionals and college students to come out and socialize with local members in the engineering field. Remember the Grand Prize is Red Sox Tickets!! Click here to register now.

 

Click here for additional information on Engineers Week—New England events or for online registration. For additional information on volunteer opportunities associated with Engineers Week and other upcoming events, contact Reed Brockman at reed.brockman@aecom.com.