This year’s National Engineers Week takes place February 21 to 27, 2021. Founded in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), Engineers Week unites a formal coalition of engineering, education, and cultural societies whose shared goal is to ensure a well-educated, diverse future workforce by increasing interest and awareness in engineering careers.
Engineers Week was scheduled to coincide with the week of George Washington’s birthday. The first President of the United States was also one of the country’s first engineers. He worked as a surveyor and later designed Mount Vernon.
This year’s theme for Engineers Week is Imagining Tomorrow. A reminder that dreaming up the future is all part of the job. So how can you actively participate in Engineers Week? See below for some ideas how to get involved:
1. Attend a Future of Engineering Webinar. Join NSPE leaders as they discuss the future of engineering and how our changing world will impact the profession. Engineers will play a vital role in the development and implementation of emerging technologies and tackling complex issues like sustainability and resiliency. All of these issues, challenges, and opportunities will have an impact on the workforce, licensure system, and the specialization of the Engineering profession. The webinar is free and you can register here.
2. Social Media. One of the main reasons of Engineers Week is to raise awareness and you can help accomplish this by sharing photos, text or stories about engineering projects that you admire and tagging your posts with #Eweek2021.
3. Connect. Some of the greatest engineering accomplishments have come from team-based approaches and to find out how they are Imagining Tomorrow, get involved with one of the following societies:
National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE): Founded in 1934, NSPE is the only organization dedicated to the professional concerns of licensed professional engineers across all disciplines.
National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE): Founded in 1975, with over 500 chapters and 22,000 members, NSBE is one of the largest student-governed organizations in the United States.
Society of Women Engineers (SWE): Founded in 1950, this organization is the world’s largest advocate for women in engineering and technology with 42,000 members around the globe.
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE): Founded in 1973, SHPE now serves more than 13,000 members, and runs 375 college and university chapters. Their mission is to change lives by empowering the Hispanic community to realize its fullest potential and to impact the world through STEM awareness, access, support, and development.
American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES): Since its beginnings in 1977, AISES has awarded nearly $12 million in scholarships, and continues to offer internships, professional development, and career resources to its 5,600 members.
DiscoverE: Thirty years ago, DiscoverE began by calling on engineers across the country to work with young students for Engineers Week 1990. Since then they’ve recruited tens of thousands of engineers who have acted as role models and provided hands-on engineering experiences to millions of students.
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