Thousands of participants, including young people, their parents, teachers, engineers and industry are set to take part in more than 600 events nationwide - from hands-on engineering challenges in classrooms and libraries to onsite engineering tours and open days - as part of Engineers Ireland’s Engineers Week 2019.
Starting tomorrow Saturday, March 2, and running until Friday, March 8, Engineers Week is co-ordinated by Engineers Ireland's STEPS programme and funded under Science Foundation Ireland’s (SFI) Discover Programme Call. The annual campaign aims to promote engineering as a career choice and the importance of the profession to Ireland.
Amazing ways Irish engineers pushing limits of creativity and ingenuity
From Clonakilty to Enniscrone and Castlepollard to Listowel, engineers from all over Ireland will engage with their communities to showcase their profession to primary and secondary students in their locality, highlighting the amazing ways Irish engineers are pushing the limits of creativity and ingenuity.
Caroline Spillane, director general of Engineers Ireland, said that she was delighted that many of Ireland’s large engineering employers, local authorities and engineering departments of higher education institutes are getting involved to showcase their work, to help spark children’s imaginations about STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) and to provide them with role models and real-world opportunities to engage with the engineering community.
“Engineers Week, in this its 13th year, is reaching out to all facets of industry to showcase the dynamic world of contemporary engineering and to demonstrate to young people that engineering is a diverse career which is both satisfying and far-reaching," said Spillane.
'Advancing invisible technologies that are all around us'
"Engineers are critical to our environment, to our economy and improve the way we live and work. Engineering affects all aspects of life, from tangible works such as the roads we travel on, to bridges and flood defences, to developing life-changing heart stents and prostheses, as well as advancing the invisible technologies that are all around us.
“We are delighted to see so many engineering organisations, libraries, schools and third level institutes getting involved and showcasing the engineering profession to primary and secondary school students nationwide and inspiring today’s children to engineer the Ireland of tomorrow.”
Additionally, during Engineers Week, Engineers Ireland is calling on Girl Guide and Brownie Units nationwide to take the Engineers Week Challenge to become Ireland’s Top Guide and Brownie Engineers.
They are encouraged to work towards gaining the Guide Engineering Badge or Brownie Engineering Badge with their Unit and devise an innovative project that could be commercially produced.
Each entry submitted before the March 15 deadline will be judged by the Engineers Ireland STEPS Dragons, with the winners crowned ‘Ireland’s Top Guide Engineers’ or ‘Ireland’s Top Brownie Engineers’.
“The Guide Engineering Badge and Brownie Engineering Badge helps to engage young girls to work through a variety of fun engineering challenges based on creative thinking, curiosity and team work," said Spillane.
"We hope as many Units will engage in this Engineers Week Challenge and we look forward to crowning Ireland’s Top Guide and Brownie Engineers.”
In addition to SFI support, Engineers Ireland’s STEPS programme, which is a year-round programme is also supported by the Department of Education and Skills, and a number of major engineering employers - Intel, Arup, ESB and TII.
Sample of events taking place nationwide
1.) In Monaghan, Combilift, in conjunction with Engineers Ireland’s North East Region, will host a week-long series of events, including school visits, a CPD evening for Technology Teachers and hands on tech workshops at Monaghan Institute.
2.) Dublin Zoo is hosting Design your Zoo workshops for primary school students (March 4-8).
3.) Limerick for Engineering showcase will take place in Shannon airport with 1,500 students and 50 midwest engineering companies in attendance (March 7).
4.) The Young Engineers Award will be announced at a primary school in Cork by our Engineering Superhero Ambassador, engineer Orla Murphy (March 4).
5.) Family Weekend – engineering shows, workshops and hands-on activities at Engineers Ireland’s headquarters in Dublin, and also at NUI Galway, Cork and IT Sligo (March 2-3).
Engineers Ireland’s Engineering 2019 report will be launched by the Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh
6.) TD (March 6).
7.) Stemettes and INTEL join for a transition year STEM initiative and hackathon (March 7).
8.) Atlantic Air Adventures Aviation Centre, Clare have opportunities to discover Aviation Engineering.
9.) Cork’s top engineering talent, including Stryker, Biomarin, PABIA Consulting, AECOM, IBM, Eli Lily and John Sisk & Sons are hosting workshops, presentations and site visits with primary and secondary students.
10.) Dundalk Institute of Technology will host a Guiding Girls into Engineering Workshop for Irish Girl Guides and Leaders.
11.) In Westmeath, the Defence Forces Engineers, (Custume Barracks) will showcase combat engineering displays in addition to Mergon International and Athlone IT who will host school tours and workshops.
12.) Engineering Your Future –a transition year work experience programme will be held at DCU, ESB Networks Dublin, ESB Limerick, ESB Networks Sligo and TU Dublin - Blanchardstown Campus.
To find out more about events taking place as part of Engineers Week see
www.engineersweek.ie