AIAA

 

Discover Engineering Family Day

Washington, D.C.

February 17, 2007

Bruce Cranford

 

The AIAA National Capital Section (NCS) supported Engineers Week "Discover Engineering Family Day" in Washington, D.C. 17 February, 2007, at the National Building Museum (NBM).  The NCS provided an expanded exhibit with volunteer members to facilitate hands‑on activities promoting engineering to students, focusing on sixth through eighth grade students.  The AIAA National Capital Section demonstrated an operating wind tunnel and hands on activity of aircraft construction and flying to several thousand students, parents, and teachers.  The NCS has supported Family Day since 2003.  The exhibit was organized again this year by Mike Hirschberg; volunteers were: Tom Beutner, Margo Eaton, Rhett Jeffries, Adiel Guinzburg, Brian Leigh, Ruynard Singleton, Joel Williamsen, BJ Yarborough, Ed Yarborough.  The NCS wishes to thank all the volunteers that made the exhibit such a success. (The NCS Discover Engineering Family Day activity was highlighted in Aerospace America, May 2007, AIAA Bulletin, pgs B8-B9)

 

Ed Yarborough , Mike Hirschberg (Photo by Cranford)

 

Mike Hirschberg (Photo by Cranford)

 

 

 

Dr. Rhett Jeffries (Photo by Cranford)

Alex Hirschberg (Photo by Cranford)

AIAA NCS (Photo by Hirschberg)


 "Discover Engineering Family Day" has been held in Washington, D.C. since 1993. It has become one of the premier Engineers Week events introducing elementary and middle school students to the fun in engineering. Over 6,000 excited and very vocal students and parents attended this year=s event held at the NBM, 401 F St., NW, Washington, D.C., between 10 AM and 4:30 PM, on Saturday, 17 February, 2007. The free one‑day festival, held rain or shine, gave 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 was bigger and better than ever. It had a record number of exhibitors, 29,  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.  New this year were hands-on stations from the Boston Museum of Science and the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center.

 

Future engineers saw a space suit,  built air planes, met Digit from the hit PBS series Cyberchase; constructed structures from drinking straws; made slime; created paper helicopters; built scale model railroad bridges; won prizes; and met professional engineers of all ages, ethnic backgrounds, male and female. Students discovered what makes an object "flink" (neither float nor sink). The students, parents, and teachers learned how things work, as well as why they work. IBM's multi‑computer TryScience stations allowed visitors to do science experiments, visit science centers worldwide, listen to various global languages, and plan virtual or real field trips. FIRST Lego League sponsored  robots in action; VEX brought a robot petting zoo; and a Lego “construction zone” room with a huge variety of Legos was provided for the younger engineers.

 

Two major PBS stations were represented.  From Thirteen/WNET (PBS New York City) came the Cyberchase crew, participating for the second year with photo-ops with Digit and hands‑on activities to show the connection between math and engineering.  Also on hand was WGBH-TV, PBS Boston, with cast and crew from their new television series Design Squad, an engineering challenge show targeted to middle school kids.

 

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 provided 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.

 

Major support for Discover Engineering Family Day 2007 was provided by the National Engineers Week Foundation, IEEE USA, and the National Building Museum. Local support was provided by the Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air conditioning Engineers Nation's Capital Chapter, and the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers Potomac Chapter.

 

More information is available from the "Discover Engineering Family Day" web site http://www.eweekdcfamilyday.org/.  Next year Discover Engineering Family Day will be February 16, 2008, at the NBM.

 

(Revised 9/7/2007)

 

 

 

 
National Capital Section

© Copyright 2007 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.