How Engineers Make a World of Difference

IEEE USA's sixth annual video contest is now underway. This year's theme is "How Engineers Make a World of Difference." Undergraduate and graduate students are challenged to produce a video directed at the 11-to-13-year-old "tween" audience with the goal of compelling them to consider a career in engineering. A $5,000 scholarship for first place is offered as an incentive. You can see the past winning videos here. Although being an engineering student is not required to enter, it appears all are thus far. I'm thinking maybe it is time for an arts major to give it a shot, because try as they may, the results have been very, uh, what would I call it, uh... engineery (new word). The presentations probably did appeal to the producers when they were tweens because their DNA contained genetic receptors for the information. Converting the engineering infidels will take an outsider's perspective. It's time for a Madison Avenue artsy-fartsy college major student to have a shot at tickling the fancy of youngsters for science and engineering.

Posted September 2012