The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History will showcase the crucial role engineering plays in daily life during a week-long celebration.
The museum will pay homage to the many branches of engineering from Feb. 22-26.
“I mean, there’s so much you can do with engineering,” said Abigail Hofbauer, a spokesperson for the museum. “We truly are trying to hit as many different functions of engineering or fields of engineering as we can. Anything from petroleum engineering to coding to electrical engineering to talking about circuits.”
Frequent event hosts Lockheed Martin and Mouser Electronics will have engineers teaching families about everything from plane engineering to keyboard ergonomics.
Guests only need to purchase general admission tickets for Engineer’s Week.
“We have a truly broad range of activities and showing guests that you can connect engineering to any aspect of your life,” Hofbauer said. “From the clothing that you wear to the car that you’re driving to the headphones that you’re using.”
This year’s theme: Creating the Future. The focus aims to educate and learn about solutions to problems arising from new technologies, said Hofbauer.
She said it’s going to be incredible to see where engineering is in 10 to 15 years.
The celebration is always held the week of George Washington’s birthday because he was a surveyor and recognized as the first U.S. engineer, Carter Tiernan, the assistant dean for the College of Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington, said.
“The goal of Engineer’s Week is to recognize engineering achievements and the importance of engineering,” Tiernan said. “Most of my E-Week memories are of working with our fantastic students as they plan and carry out events for their peers here at UTA.”
Before becoming the assistant dean, Tiernan worked for Texas Instruments as a software design engineer and taught in a nonprofit mathematics enrichment program that worked with Dallas ISD.
Now, along with being assistant dean, she is a professor of instruction in the computer science and engineering department.
UTA, much like the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, will host a long lineup of workshops, contests and social events and opportunities to connect with industry representatives.
“I just went to the flight museum earlier today and thought about the technology that they were using to create planes and how, for instance, they had to refuel mid-flight,” Hofbauer said. “Think about the new engineering feats that people are going to create.”
If you cannot make it
Intro to engineering:
What is Civil Engineering?
What is Mechanical Engineering?
7 Wonders of Engineering
How Are Semiconductors Made?
Fire Station Switchboard
Activities at home:
Build a Cantilever
Design a Bike Helmet
Turn a Box Into Anything
Build a Catapult
Create A RollerCoaster
Teach the Engineering Design Process
Source: FWSHM Engineer’s Week
Cristian ArguetaSoto is the community engagement journalist at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him by email or via Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, by following our guidelines.
