Colorado State Celebrates National Engineers Week with Public Activities Designed to Encourage Youth, Women

Colorado State University will emphasize the creativity, fun and rewards of engineering careers during a series of events for National Engineers Week, Feb. 18-24.

Programs and an open house for elementary and high school students will emphasize the creativity, financial security and fun that a career in engineering can provide.

Emphasis is on getting young women, members of minorities and the disabled interested early so that they can aim at a college career and take the right background courses, said Benita Phillips, director of the College of Engineering’s Women and Minorities in Engineering Program.

"Our first goal during National Engineers Week is to recruit elementary and middle school students, especially women and minorities," she said. "We want people to reach college not only with an interest in engineering, but with the necessary background in physics, chemistry and mathematics that an engineering education requires."

Colorado State’s events for National Engineers Week will be held in the Engineering Building. Metered parking is available north of the building and free parking is available west of Moby Arena.

Following is a schedule of events.

  • Sat., Feb. 17: Engineering Careers Day will examine various branches of engineering for high school students from 8 a.m.- 3 p.m.. The event is free but prior registration is required.
  • Mon., Feb. 19: The Engineering Building open house from 9 a.m.-noon is free and open to the public. Students will be available to give tours.
  • Wed., Feb. 21: A "Discover Engineering" telecast originates in Chicago and is designed to introduce high school students to the field. Local students will view it at 11 a.m. in Room B1 of the Engineering Building. A panel of professional engineers will answer questions; Susan James, Colorado State associate professor of mechanical engineering and head of the Biomedical Program, will be a panelist.
  • Sat., Feb. 24: Colorado State will hold its fourth annual Professional Development Workshop for women and minority students at the university. In cooperation with corporate supporters, student teams will learn about getting a job and undertaking a career.

During the week, members of the Society of Women Engineers will be working with primary-grade-level girls to build sleds. Design and construction will take place at 3:30 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday through Feb. 22 at Rocky Mountain High School on Shields Street and Swallow Road. The final competition will take place on Saturday, Feb. 24, in Fort Collins (if sufficient snow is present) or at Rocky Mountain National Park.

For more information, call Benita Phillips at (970) 491-0627.