Discussion Thread

  • 1.  Engineers Week...Where's my Donut?

    Posted 02-22-2022 10:03 AM
    From one engineer to another, Happy Engineer's Week!

    It seems that the only people who take note of engineer's week are other engineers (sometimes not even then).
    I think Engineer's Week can be a great way for people to learn the importance of current and past Civil Engineers.
    It would be nice for the industry to receive some recognition. As a side note, it would also be nice to receive a free donut (like during nurse's week).

    Why do you think Engineer's Week isn't more publicized? (or is it and I'm missing out on the action?)

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    Daniel Bressler EIT, A.M.ASCE
    Structural Engineer
    Brooklyn NY
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  • 2.  RE: Engineers Week...Where's my Donut?

    Posted 02-23-2022 08:06 AM
    Daniel:

    Do you know why engineers get so little credit?  Because we're engineers, not marketers.  

    Regards,
    Joseph M. Rozmiarek, P.E.
    President and Principal Engineer
    Kilo Engineering, LLC
    605-651-4263






  • 3.  RE: Engineers Week...Where's my Donut?

    Posted 02-23-2022 10:43 AM
    Joseph,

    I understand your point but couldn't that be said for every industry? (Except marketing)

    Do you think that as engineers we should be doing more outreach and awareness? (Locally or Broadly)



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    Daniel Bressler EIT, A.M.ASCE
    Structural Engineer
    Brooklyn NY
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  • 4.  RE: Engineers Week...Where's my Donut?

    Posted 02-27-2022 06:28 PM
    Neither of the universities I have gone to ever brought up Engineer's Week. It's probably because of just how many fields could get recognition like that.

    Over Winter Break, I binged "The IT Crowd" (the original British version) because it was about how little real appreciation and comprehension companies had for the rise of Information Technology. Most service desk calls boiled down to the catchphrase, "Have you tried turning it off and on again?".

    As much I would love to see engineers get more recognition for our roles in society, I also see the systemic reasons there is so little: it is not as buzzworthy or in the limelight.

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    Alexander Granato A.M.ASCE
    Student
    Bexley OH
    granato.3@...
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  • 5.  RE: Engineers Week...Where's my Donut?

    Posted 02-28-2022 11:32 AM
    It may have to do simply with the context in which engineers work. Nurses week is popular and recognized, so what is different about nursing and engineering? 

    According to a quick google search, there are about 2x as many nurses in the US than there are engineers, which could be part of the reason. 

    But I can't help but think it has something to do with the nature of work either. Anyone who has ever been sick and gone to the doctor or hospital has likely been assisted by one or many nurses. We tend to remember those who help us when we are ill, especially if they have a very warm "bedside manner". There is a human element to nursing that one might argue is absent in a lot of work the public sees via engineering. You could even argue that this is the point of being an engineer: being able to create an environment that the public specifically does NOT need to take special notice of. If you don't notice anything on the street during your commute, or think twice after filling a glass of water or flushing your toilet, or driving over a bridge, then I think it means we are doing our jobs correctly.

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    Christopher Seigel P.E., M.ASCE
    Civil Engineer
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  • 6.  RE: Engineers Week...Where's my Donut?

    Posted 03-02-2022 12:24 PM
      |   view attached
    Thank you for starting this thread @Daniel Bressler! I hope everyone enjoyed their Engineers Week!

    In addition to Engineers Week, you can celebrate World Engineering Day on Friday, March 4! It is a 24 live event, the first 24 hour live broadcast of an UNESCO day. This is a global stream of engineering activities from across the world. From Sydney to Costa Rica, and everything in between.


    You can watch the global stream for free on the World Engineering Day homepage - worldengineeringday.net

    I hope you can join to celebrate engineers across the globe! 



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    Tirza Austin
    Senior Manager, Online Community
    American Society of Civil Engineers
    1801 Alexander Bell Drive
    Reston, VA 20191
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  • 7.  RE: Engineers Week...Where's my Donut?

    Posted 03-02-2022 07:42 PM

    In my country, Engineer's Day is celebrated. We would like to celebrate the entire week. IT is inventing AI and they are appreciated, but other engineering professions are not.

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    Alex Thomas R.Eng, M.ASCE
    CochinAlexThomasR.Eng, M.ASCEIndia
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  • 8.  RE: Engineers Week...Where's my Donut?

    Posted 03-09-2022 01:07 PM
    It's easier to give a nurse a donut than to pay them well (a lot of medical professionals we interact with are probably not even registered nurses). But a little publicity never hurts anyone, especially less publicized professions like engineering. Telling people about our work would be a good place to start.

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    Tsee Lee, A.M.ASCE
    City of New York
    Long Island City, NY
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