Engineering Week (EWeek)is an annual celebration falling on the week of February 18 in 2024. This year’s theme: Welcome to the Future.
Engineering week has many purposes. From celebrating the accomplishments of past engineers to fostering further growth within the engineering community;here are plenty of opportunities all around the world to contribute to EWeek as a mentor or as someone looking to learn more about engineering.
EWeek is all about inspiring young students to pursue engineering. As an individual, you can help this cause by volunteering in EWeek events and competitions near you. Alternatively, if there are no plans to celebrate EWeek within your community, consider stepping into a leadership role and organizing local engineering activities. Some perfect examples are hosting an engineering trivia night or a popsicle bridge building contest at your town’s library or community center.
Every year during EWeek, DiscoverE, a nonprofit organization that works to support under-represented and disadvantaged young engineers, hosts an engineering competition. This year, DiscoverE challenges middle schoolers to construct a city powered solely by electricity from environmentally safe sources. Not only does this competition encourage young engineers to consider the environment in their future endeavors, but it also gives them a creative outlet and fosters their growing interest in engineering.
Additionally, part of DiscoverE’s engineering week is Girl Day, falling on February 22. As women have been historically disadvantaged in almost every field of engineering, it’s vital that a week dedicated to celebrating engineering honors the dedication of female engineers. The goal for Girl Day is to introduce girls to engineering and encourage them to pursue their interests within it. Anyone can be a role model on Girl Day. Your participation could be as simple as just talking to a young girl about engineering, or as complex as becoming a mentor or judge in the Future City competition. According to DiscoverE, 69% of girls who participated in their Girl Day celebrations reported that “mentors inspired them to consider a career in engineering.”
