National Engineers Week celebrates engineers’ incredible contributions to society and provides opportunities to interest young people in STEM career paths. Celebrate this year’s theme — Creating the Future! — with these nine participation ideas and free STEM and E-Week resources.
February 19–25 is National Engineers Week, or E-Week, a celebration of how engineers make a difference in our world and an opportunity to interest more young people in engineering and STEM as a career path. This year’s theme — Creating the Future! — gives us all a chance to showcase how engineering and other STEM fields play key roles in how we use and advance technology to help solve global challenges and make the world a better place.
This E-Week, you have the opportunity to share achievements of your peers, tell people about your own experiences, and inspire others to pursue a STEM career path.
Help Create the Future by Inspiring Young Engineers
At its core, engineering is about solving problems and finding better ways to do things. So, it should come as no surprise that engineering — along with science, technology, and math — plays a vital role in several aspects of our everyday lives. In fact, many people don’t realize how many jobs are now recognized as STEM careers. The National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) definition of STEM occupations is more inclusive than ever, accounting for traditionally recognized STEM jobs — like engineer, scientist, software developer, and information security manager — as well as jobs that require STEM skills.For example, U.S. News & World Report lists three healthcare positions (nurse practitioner, medical and health services manager, physician assistant) as the top second, third, and fourth Best STEM Jobs of 2023.
Given the newly expanded definition of STEM careers, the STEM workforce is expected to grow faster than all other occupation areas over the next decade. However, students don’t have equal access to STEM fields. This means that, as a society, we’re missing out on hundreds of thousands, and maybe even millions, of innovative ideas that could impact our world in a positive way.
Nine Ideas for Getting Involved in E-Week and Inspiring Rising STEM Stars
Did you know that 74% of educators say that today’s students don’t have many chances to meet engineers? You can change this, and E-Week 2023 is a great time to start!
Think about what inspired you to become an engineer, the innovations you see your colleagues make, or technology trends that really excite you. Then look for ways to share your stories, knowledge, and experience with younger generations, or advocate for changes in school and company policies or even local, state, and federal laws that will open future possibilities for everyone.
To participate in E-Week 2023 and help inspire rising STEM stars, you can:
- Celebrate engineers you know or your favorite innovations on social media with the hashtags #EWeek2023 or #NationalEngineersWeek.
- Enjoy a day with your children at nearby science museum or discovery center and compare what they see to what you do at work every day.
- Volunteer with a STEM organization like FIRST, TechGirlz, Black Girls Do STEM, and SMASH.
- Connect with your alma maters — from grade school through to college — to see if they could use your help as a guest speaker, tutor, or volunteer for special E-Week events.
- Invite a STEM influencer or accomplished innovator to speak to and inspire your engineering team.
- Offer to attend technology career fairs or conferences with your employer so you can share your experiences firsthand.
- Help create an engineering internship or apprenticeship program at your company.
- Create a scholarship for rising or graduating high school seniors, on your own or with your company’s support.
- Become an ASCE Outreach Champion to promote civil engineering to pre-college audiences.
STEM and the Happiness Equation
Whether you choose to go out and speak to people or simply raise awareness through your social networks, remember to share the many benefits of STEM careers. While STEM careers typically offer greater financial stability — in 2021, the median annual salary for STEM occupations was $95,420, versus just $40,120 for non-STEM roles — money isn’t the end all be all, especially for rising generations.
Think about purpose. You are in a career that makes a real difference and often has a large impact on your quality of life. In addition to providing higher salaries, STEM careers provide the chance to be involved in solving the small and large challenges that affect people’s lives all around the world. And as noted in our “Money Can’t Buy Happiness, but Maybe STEM Can” article, being a part of something larger than one’s self can lead to greater fulfillment and happiness.
You can also focus on the fun. Think about the engineering and technology that goes into racecars, rollercoasters, snowboards, video games, and robotics, just to name a few. STEM plays a part in the everyday things we may take for granted — like electricity, transportation, and smartphones — as well as in the sports and activities we look to for fitness and entertainment. Ideas are everywhere, and resources are too!
Free STEM and E-Week Resources
There are plenty of resources you can use during E-Week and beyond. A few top sources include the National Professional Society of Engineers and DiscoverE, a subsidiary of the National Society of Professional Engineers and the organization behind Engineers Week. DiscoverE has free resources you can use to inspire future innovators and give them information about pathways to an engineering or other STEM career. Explore the DiscoverE site to download volunteer planning guides, find engineering messages to share, and get lesson plans for hands-on engineering activities you can lead.
If you want to learn more about the evolving definition of STEM occupations and about job growth, salary statistics, and diversity in these fields, check out our “STEM Labor Market Statistics” article.
More Than a Week of Opportunities
While E-Week is celebrated annually in February to recognize and promote the outstanding contributions that engineers make to our world, STEM positively influences our lives almost every day. So, consider E-Week as motivation to get involved and promote your field all year long, and keep in mind that World Engineering Day is right around the corner on March 4.
At RS, we know and appreciate the great value that engineers provide, and we’re happy to help you continue to make a difference — or as we like to say, to make amazing happen for a better world. We can also help you celebrate and encourage the engineers and future STEM stars in your life. Check out our STEM & STEAM gift guide for all ages when gift-giving occasions arise. We created it for the holidays, but it has 55 ideas to help with your gift giving for the entire year. You can also visit our “Eight STEM Vacation Destinations for Families” and “Six STEM Projects Kids are Sure to Love” articles to help you share your interests with the ones you love.
