This is National Engineers Week. Although my husband and I are both English majors, I have a soft spot for engineers. Several years of teaching at an engineering college have shown me that engineering students have a focus and an intensity that, unfortunately, they do not always embrace as a good thing. Often, only when they are in the company of other thinkers like themselves–which for many of them doesn’t happen until college–do they see that their drive, their passions, their particular talents are not only useful but appreciated.
The engineering students who do come to college sure of who they are and able to withstand the pressures to dumb down, not to care, or to blend in with a more mainstream crowd tend to have had adult support. Their parents, or sometimes a family member such as an uncle or aunt, or a teacher or mentor let them know from an early age that being smart and being interested in science or math or technology are all okay, in fact, terrific.
Here’s to all the young people who bring their LEGO® sets to college, to the student I once had who drew for his self-portrait in an art appreciation class a working (I took his word for it) electrical circuit for his head, to all the children who endure taunts of geek and nerd and Einstein. In the 21st century, you have the last word. The world is now yours for the taking.
A Few Resources
STEM: Making Good Minds Great is the fun website of Minnesota’s STEM initiative, with links to many activities, information on careers, and more.
Northwestern University has some good STEM links and resources for teachers that are also useful for parents, as is The STEM Blog (from Rochester Area Colleges).
Finally, my all-time favorite engineering-related website is Cooking for Engineers, especially their recipeswritten from an analytical, sequential perspective, with photos for nearly every step and an inventive and logical approach to recipe cards (and the dishes are delicious, too!).
Girl with Microscope photograph courtesy of thadz.
