February 10, 2014 | Eli Freund - School of Engineering

National Engineers Week Activities Planned

This year's national Engineers Week will be celebrated February 16-22. UConn Engineering will host activities throughout the week to familiarize non-engineers with the enormous contributions engineers make to our everyday lives, from our cell phones and notebook devices to sustainable new energy technologies, personalized medicine and advanced manufacturing.

eweek2This year’s national Engineers Week will be celebrated February 16-22 with a theme of “Let’s Make a Difference.” The National Society of Professional Engineers initiated Engineers Week in 1951. Today the DiscoverE Foundation sponsors Engineers Week activities as one facet in their larger mission of sustaining and growing “a dynamic engineering profession through outreach, education, celebration, and volunteerism.”

UConn Engineering will host exciting, fun and educational activities throughout the week to familiarize non-engineers with the enormous contributions engineers make to our everyday lives, from our cell phones and notebook devices to sustainable new energy technologies, personalized medicine and advanced manufacturing.

The Engineering Ambassadors team, along with members of the UConn chapters of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Engineers Without Borders, Phi Rho and Formula SAE will be hosting demonstrations all week in the Information Technologies Engineering (ITE) building lobby.

Following are some of the many activities planned:

 

Monday, February 17

Demos: Highlighting Materials Science & Engineering
9:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. ITE Lobby

  • Oobleck – Non-Newtonian fluid: liquid that becomes solid under pressure
  • Shape Memory Alloys – Objects that can be distorted but return to their original shape when heated
  • Hydrophobic Sand – Water-repellant sand that never becomes wet

Tuesday, February 18

Demos: Highlighting Mechanical Engineering
9:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. ITE Lobby

  • Bicycle Wheel Gyroscope and Small Gyroscopes
  • Spinning Platform Momentum Demo
  • 3D Printer

Engineering Career Fair
11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Rome Commons Ballroom

60+ leading employers – including appliance, power equipment, fabricating, switch and gear manufacturers, aviation giants, construction firms, software and consumer products manufacturers and many others – will be recruiting engineering students for internships and full-time positions.

“Celebration of Women in Engineering” Activities (Please see details here) RSVP for all “Celebration” activities here.

Breakfast with Betty Shanahan
8:30 – 9:30 a.m. Wilbur Cross North Reading Room

Women in Engineering Breakout Sessions
9:45 – 10:30 a.m. Wilbur Cross North Reading Room

Engineering Women/Poster Session
10:45 – 11:30 a.m. Wilbur Cross North Reading Room

Student and team poster competition

“Women Engineering the Future” Panel Discussion
3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Student Union Theatre

Wednesday, February 19

Demos: Highlighting Civil Engineering
9:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. ITE Lobby

  • Gingerbread House Structures – Build stable structures with graham crackers, frosting, candy, etc.

Thursday, February 20

Demos: Highlighting Electrical Engineering
9:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. ITE Lobby

  • Van de Graaf Generator – Static electricity that can be used to power a light bulb, make hair stand up, and build up a charge to create arcs of electrons.
  • Electric Rollercoaster –  “Operation” type challenge that reacts with a light or sound when a circuit is completed while trying to go through the system without touching the edges.

Friday, February 21

Demos: Hovercraft
9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.  Fairfield Way, in front of ITE or the Homer Babbidge Library

  • Hovercraft – Home-made hovercraft that can be ridden.

Saturday, March 8

Rube Goldberg competition (read about last year’s competition here)
8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. ITE Lobby