Washington, D.C. — On Wednesday, April 5, 2017, the engineering community around the world comes together in celebration and volunteerism to shine a spotlight on the work done by engineers and inspire the next generation of engineering and technology professionals.
The second annual Global Day of the Engineer, presented by DiscoverE (www.discovere.org), is a one-day event that unites individuals, engineering employers, educational institutions, governmental bodies and engineering associations, all of whom pledge to join in celebrating engineers and engineering. The event puts a face to the people – engineers – who are instrumental in designing innovative, groundbreaking solutions to so many of the world most pressing issues.
Participation can come in many forms. Those who pledge can honor engineers through Global Day-themed lunches, dinners or coffees or by arranging for recognition via a public proclamation or a public display. Pledgers can engage students and teachers directly through hands-on activities at schools and youth clubs. Global Day also encourages individuals to highlight local engineering innovations by sharing photos on social media, using the #GlobalEngineer hashtag.
Corporate partners, NGOs and engineering societies can pledge to hold Global Day events or connect their already established events and activities to Global Day. As they identify local engineering achievements and promote Global Day engagement to employees, members and university engineering students, partners can post the Global Day logo and link to the Global Day web page, include Global Day messages in newsletters/other communications and promote through social media channels.
Miami University in Oxford, Ohio will be celebrating Global Day during its week-long Engineering and Computing Week, April 3-5. The week is themed to the College’s vision of Socially Engaged Engineering and Computing (SEEC). An impressive line-up of speakers includes Greg Van Kirk, founder of Social Entrepreneur Corps and Dr. Alice Agogino, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Agogino is a thought leader in Development Engineering, an emerging interdisciplinary field of study that develops technologies to address the needs of people in poverty. Dr. Bernard Amadei, Founder, Engineers Without Borders/USA and Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Colorado, is the closing speaker.
CodeCreate, which empower learners through creative design experiences with every day technology, is hosting a Global Day event for students and families at Chicago’s Hyde Park Arts Center. The workshops, centering on Cardboard Switching, engage participants through exploring shapes, building simple animals, objects or machines (such as a lamp, rocket ship or lion) out of cardboard and then decorating those surfaces in aluminum foil to trigger an application and elicit a response. CodeCreate’s Global Day event is part of Youth in Motion, a year-long collaboration with Hamburg, Germany’s Mut Theatre.
Boeing South Carolina is taking the spirit of Global Day on the road, with a series of school events that will reach hundreds of students from elementary age through to high school. These include hands-on immersive STEM activities are all centered around engineering. From 3D printing to robotics, students get the opportunity to experience engineering first-hand. For students in grades 9-12, Boeing South Carolina is also sponsoring a job shadow day and a career fair looking at 21st Century career options.
There is no fee to participate and DiscoverE provides online tools and resources. More information and ideas for engagement can be found here. In 2016, the first Global Day saw over 1,000 individual pledges from participants in dozens of countries.
Honorees from DiscoverE’s New Faces of Engineering program, which honors the work of up-and-coming engineers who are making their mark on their industry, will be among those participating and pledging to support Global Day.
Global Day is organized by DiscoverE and education content partner Design Squad Global.