Discussion Thread

  • 1.  Did attending an engineering outreach event play a role in your college major or decision to become an engineer?

    Posted 02-19-2019 10:54 AM
    Happy Engineers Week! 

    On February 16th, Discover Engineering Family Day took place at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.  ASCE had a booth where students designed paper towers to withstand wind forces. It was wonderful to volunteer and see children (and parents) enjoying hands-on activities and learning about all types of engineering.  (I couldn't resist visiting other booths as well and even met an astronaut!)

    Did attending an engineering outreach event play a role in deciding your college major or decision to become an engineer?  How do you participate in these events today?




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    Jameelah Ingram PE, M. ASCE
    Washington. DC
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  • 2.  RE: Did attending an engineering outreach event play a role in your college major or decision to become an engineer?

    Posted 02-20-2019 11:52 AM
    My most memorable and favorable introduction to the engineering profession was a job shadow. As a young student, I was lucky to be paired with a brilliant and approachable engineer through my junior college MESA program. She gave me a tour of her office, introduced me to other engineers, and we talked as she drove me to see one of her projects. We shared the drive to "know how the world works" and she showed me that engineering is a way not only to learn how the world works but to shape how the world works. The one-on-one time was more helpful to me than a conversation at an event.

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    Karen Bolan PE,MASCE
    Santa Rosa CA
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  • 3.  RE: Did attending an engineering outreach event play a role in your college major or decision to become an engineer?

    Posted 02-20-2019 02:00 PM
    Like Karen, my most memorable introduction to engineering was also a job shadow. My whole family was really pushing for me to be an engineer so my aunt actually took me to her friend's office at a materials lab for a tour during my sophomore or junior year of high school. I remember seeing the cool testing facilities and 3D printers and being really awe-struck!

    I wish I had been introduced to engineering earlier-- I was a girl scout as a child but until recently there were no STEM badges, so I can't really recall attending an engineering outreach event through them or really any other avenue in my K-12 years.

    For the past two years I've been volunteering as a judge with the Future City Competition and I think it is an amazing way to introduce kids to engineering at an early and appropriate age (6th-8th grade). The project requires student teams to build their own city-- this year's theme was protecting cities from natural disasters and creating sustainable power grids. This year I hope to volunteer as a mentor to a team so I can really teach the kids about all the different disciplines-- through my judging experiences it seems like they are fascinated that there is more than one type of engineer!

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    Peyton Gibson
    Littleton CO
    (910)551-7054
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  • 4.  RE: Did attending an engineering outreach event play a role in your college major or decision to become an engineer?

    Posted 02-21-2019 02:16 PM
    Hi Karen,

    I had the opportunity, while in high school, to participate in the UCLA Summer Math and Science Honors (SMASH) Academy for the 3 summers following 9th, 10th and 11th grade. For 5 weeks during those 3 summers, I got to live in the dorms at UCLA and attend math, science, and engineering design classes. The most memorable parts of those summers were the field trips we went on, which included visits to Hyperion Water Reclamation plant, Google's Corporate Office in Santa Monica,  Edwards Air Force Base, and the Frito Lay's production facility, to name a few.  But aside from the awesome field trips where I got to see some of the things that engineers actually do on a daily basis, I also got to interact with current college students who served as our residential advisors and tutors for the summer. It was a combination of those experiences and more that ultimately led me to choose engineering as a major and to choose UCLA as the place to study at.

    The SMASH program at UCLA is run in partnership with the Center for Excellence in Engineering and Diversity (CEED) program, which I am a member of now as an undergraduate student. I participate in outreach events today by working with CEED to host STEM workshops and activities on the weekends for current students in the SMASH program. My high school experiences with engineering are definitely one of the biggest motivating factors I have to continue to volunteer and make engineering fun and exciting for younger people.

    The SMASH Academy is a program created by the Level Playing Field Institute (LPFI) and has multiple site locations around the country. The program at UCLA heavily emphasizes engineering because of its partnership with CEED. More information about the SMASH Academy and LPFI can be found here: https://www.smash.org/programs/smash-academy/

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    Imani Elston S.M.ASCE
    Northridge CA
    UCLA Civil and Environmental Engineering, Class of 2020
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