By William Confair, P.E., Outreach Committee Chair

From February 22nd through February 24th, 2018 the Carnegie Science Center celebrated National Engineers’ Week by hosting “Engineer the Future”.  This three-day event was comprised of 40 tables staffed by local professionals who provided presentations and hands-on activities.  ASCE-Pittsburgh hosted a booth on the second floor, next to Robo-World.  While Robo-World was a bit of a distraction, it also kept the students and participants lingering in our booth for longer periods. ASCE provided engaging hands-on activities for the school groups and families to watch, learn, and understand what civil engineers do every day.  Our group of 14 volunteers were engaging ambassadors and held their own during the busy three days.

ASCE Pittsburgh had several props and demonstrations:

• Draw Bridge Activity – demonstrated the concepts and basic background of a draw bridge.
• Foundation Activity – demonstrated the concepts and basic background of selecting a deep foundation versus a shallow foundation.
• Landslide Activity – demonstrated the concepts and basic background of how landslides occur and some measures that can prevent them.
• Watershed Activity – demonstrated the concepts and basic background of water runoff and how to prevent pollutants from entering our drinking water.  This was by far the most popular activity – perhaps in part because there was water and food coloring involved.

“Engineer the Future” is an emblematic event for Pittsburgh and an excellent opportunity for our ASCE Section to increase awareness of our profession and encourage young students to become civil engineers.  For more information on the 2018 “Engineer the Future” event, check out the Carnegie Science Center description.