Ways to Celebrate U.S. Engineers Week
From green energy to efficient transportation to artificial intelligence, engineers develop technologies that change our everyday lives. DiscoverE Engineers Week, being held this year in the United States from 20 to 26 February, celebrates engineers and the way they change the world. It also encourages students to pursue an engineering career and spreads the word about the field.
This year's EWeek theme is Reimagining the Possible. Activities are happening all week long, with the goal of bringing engineering to the minds of children, their parents, and their educators.
One of the highlights of the week, the Future City competition, draws more than 45,000 students from the United States and abroad. The competition challenges middle-schoolers to imagine, research, design, and build model cities. The top teams from local and regional competitions advance to the finals, which will be held virtually this year. Students compete for a number of coveted awards, which are to be presented during an online event on 23 March.
IEEE-USA sponsors the award for the Most Advanced Smart Grid.
People who are interested in volunteering for Future City can sign up on the event's website.
Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, also known as Girl Day, is to be held on 24 February. The worldwide campaign aims to help girls build confidence and to envision STEM careers. Thousands of volunteers act as mentors, facilitate engineering activities, and help empower girls to pursue engineering as a career. Consider signing up to visit a virtual or in-person classroom.
You also can hold your own event, which can be as small as having coffee with a few colleagues, or as big as an organization-wide celebration.
Getting involved can be as simple as joining the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Use #Eweek2022 and #WhatEngineersDo to share why you value engineering, post photos of your colleagues and research team, and talk about past engineering projects that make you proud.
Posters and graphics from DiscoverE are available as part of the promotional resources at the EWeek website.
You also can advocate for the engineering field by asking your mayor, governor, or congressional representative to issue a proclamation recognizing the contributions of engineers. Another way to get involved is to work with your company to post a message from leadership about the importance of EWeek. Or simply tell a friend what EWeek is and why it's worth celebrating.
No matter what you do during EWeek, be proud of what you and your colleagues have achieved and what you continue to do to advance technology for humanity.
And don't forget to celebrate World Engineering Day on 4 March.