Discover Engineering Family Day

Washington, D.C.

February 18, 2006

The AIAA NCS is supports Engineers Week "Discover Engineering Family Day" in Washington, D.C. 18 February, 2006, at the National Building, providing an exhibit with hands-on activities promoting engineering to students, focusing on sixth through eighth grade students.

The "Discover Engineering Family Day" has been held in Washington, D.C. since 1993. It has become one of the premier Engineers Week events showing elementary and middle school students the fun in engineering. Over 7,000 excited and very vocal students and parents are expected to attend this year’s event to be held at the National Building Museum, 401 F St., NW, Washington, D.C., between 10 AM and 4:30 PM, on Saturday, 18 February, 2006. The free one-day festival, held rain or shine, will give young people the opportunity to enjoy a day of fun and participate in a variety of hands-on activities that explore the field of engineering.

This year’s event is expected to be bigger and better than ever. It has a record number of exhibitors with Hands- on activities for every one’s technical curiosity. The list of exhibitors can be found on the "Discover Engineering Family Day" web site http://www.eweekdcfamilyday.org/.

Future engineers can build a dam, meet Harry and Digit from the hit PBS series Cyberchase; construct cantilevers from drinking straws; make slime; create paper helicopters; build scale model railroad bridges; win prizes; and meet professional engineers of all ages, ethnic backgrounds, male and female. Students will discover what makes an object "flink" (neither float nor sink). The students, parents, and teachers will learn how things work, as well as why they work. IBM's multi-computer TryScience stations, will be available, allowing visitors to do science experiments, visit science centers worldwide, listen to various global languages, and plan virtual or real field trips. US FIRST will sponsor a competition of student-designed robots, in action. A Lego room with a huge amount of Lego's is provided for the younger engineers.

Cyberchase cast and crew will participate with hands-on activities and character appearances to show the connection between math and engineering.

The purpose of the Family Day event is twofold. First, the excitement of hands-on activities involves young children with the concept of engineering and engineers. Children and even adults do not understand the role of the engineer in our society or more simply what an engineer does. Not typically part of a school's curriculum, teaching children about engineering generally falls to enrichment programs. But waiting for college or even high school to introduce the possibility of an engineering career is often too late. Capturing and fanning a 6- to 13- year-old children’s natural curiosity about the way things work--the realm of engineering--is crucial preparation for reaching middle school, and will open children to the possibility of engineering as a career option.

Second, showing "real-life" applications of engineering solving real life problems, will foster recognition among parents, teachers and students of the importance and relevance of a high level of math, science and technology literacy, and ultimately, the importance of engineering in today's world.

Many of the engineering organizations at the festival provide resources for additional learning experiences available to both teachers and parents.

This event serves as a model for similar family programs throughout the U.S. The first "Family Night" was launched for National Engineers Week 1993 under IEEE-USA's guidance.

Also, this year, a gender equity workshop for teachers and volunteers/mentors will run concurrently with the Family Day, but not as a kid-centered event. The workshop will be presented by a local representative of Sally Ride Science (Debbie Biggs). As part of the Sally Ride Science, a preliminary judging for the Sally Ride Toy Challenge, will be held.

Major support for Discover Engineering Family Day is provided by the National Engineers Week Foundation, IEEE-USA, and the National Building Museum. Local support is provided by the Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program, American Society of Civil Engineers National Capital Section, and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers Nation's Capital Chapter.

More information is available from the "Discover Engineering Family Day" web site http://www.eweekdcfamilyday.org/.

(Revised 12/8/2005)