The black t-shirt has a simple word spread across the chest: Science. Beneath it, there’s the phrase, “Engineers Make it Work.” Sometimes, the simpler the message the more profound the statement is.
I found that this t-shirt — one of the several items available online to help celebrate next month’s Engineers Week 2012 — is one of the most dramatic because it debunks a general misconception that science is unique in its role as a change agent in the way people live. Certainly, science plays a critical role in the course of global matters — and so does engineering.
There is a lot of discussion in the profession on the matter. Some believe that engineering has taken a backseat to science in the hearts and minds of the public. This may not be far-fetched since scientists have a high profile and the general public often doesn’t understand the engineer’s role in making things work. Others believe that the onus is on the engineers themselves, especially those who prefer to work in anonymity rather than put too much of the spotlight on what they do.
The natural instinct of technologists may very well be to focus on the task in front of them and not worry about getting credit for their projects, but by doing so they are doing a disservice to the profession as a whole. This is where organizations like ASME, through various programs including Engineers Week, work hard to ensure that engineers are recognized and are celebrated for their contributions to humanity.
Each year, Engineers Week (EWeek) celebrates the contributions that engineers make to society and it spotlights outreach programs for kids and adults held throughout the country. In its 61st year, Engineers Week — this year held February 19th to the 25th — is a joint celebration of the profession sponsored by industry, government, and non-profit and grassroots organizations. ASME is this year’s co-chair and lead technical society for EWeek.
As lead, ASME is spearheading a number of activities and programs throughout the country, including the new DiscoverE Educator Recognition Awards, and DiscoverE Summit. Other EWeek projects include the Future City Competition finals, and Family Day in Washington, D.C. For a full list of events I invite you to visit ASME.ORG (www.asme.org/events/engineers-week-2012); also visit the EWeek website at www.eweek.org.
EWeek provides an opportunity to stop and think about the global leadership position that engineers are beginning to take on and also to contemplate on the work that’s in front of us to sustain and grow our dynamic profession. But EWeek is only a yearly spotlight on a celebration that must occur during the other 51 weeks of the year. Finally, I also invite you to look at an inspiring short video at http://bit.ly/ASMEeWeek.
As ASME President Victoria A. Rockwell said in an article in the February issue of Mechanical Engineering magazine: “Engineers created the wheel, the printing press, electricity, and safe and reliable water supplies; seafaring vessels, trains, planes and automobiles, and rockets and spacecraft to take us into outer space; roads and bridges, dams and tunnels, radios, telephones, and computers; and medical diagnostic and administering devices and implants. The list goes on and on. Engineers make it all happen; they affect every aspect of human existence.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself — participate in Engineers Week next month and celebrate engineering throughout the year.
— Thomas G. Loughlin, Executive Director