Amateur Radio Station K6BSA will be operating at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree from the Electricity and Electronics Merit Badge Booths, www.emeritbadges.org, at the Jamboree Merit Badge Midway. During the day the amateur station will be used to show visitors how electricity and electronics are used in radio communications. We hope that many visitors will want to join the ranks of amateur radio operators. Primary equipment being used is the Yaesu VX-8GR and the FT-857D. The K6BSA station will be operated 24/7 by licensed amateur ratio operators. If you are in the area of the Jamboree Merit Badge Midway, give a call on the 2m FM simplex calling frequency of 146.520MHz to K6BSA which we will monitor.
The station will also be equipped with APRS and will have a large screen monitor to display the hams operating at the scout jamboree with APRS. K6BSA also plans on using EchoLink to contact hams around the world.
K6BSA will have plenty of new QSL cards to send to the contacts made during the Jamboree 2010. Contact us to get this special Jamboree edition QSL card.
A specially designed patch for the MBM - MB Booth Staff will be available for sale. Only the officially designated MB Booth Coordinator will have the first opportunity to purchase as many patches for their staff as they wish to insure that they have enough for all of their staff (even those arriving late in the Jamboree schedule that will be assisting with the MB Booth). The window for the Booth Coordinators to purchase patches will be announced at the Booth Coordinator’s Staff meeting on Sunday afternoon. The special MBM - MB Booth patch will cost $6.00 each (it is a hologram design that hangs from a pocket loop … really neat).
Open sales of patches to MBM Staff other than MB Booth Coordinators will begin at 10:00 AM Monday morning. At that time any MBM staff member may purchase as many patches as they like on a first come first served basis. All patch purchases are by cash only.
Additionally there will be a limited supply of 2005 MBM Jamboree patch sets (1 each of the HQ Staff/silver & MBM MB Booth /gold) available for $10.00/set.
If you have a 2010 National Scout Jamboree related license plate, send a photo and we will post our website for others to see. Send the photo to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
Over 100 volunteers will be heading to the 2010 National Scout Jamboree in a few weeks to help with the Electricity & Electronics Merit Badge booths sponsored by the IEEE emeritbadges.org Project. Some of our volunteers have had recent schedule changes that will prevent them from attending the Jamboree. We need a few additional volunteers to help with Registration, Technical (electricity & electronics) and evening security. If you can help, please contact Carl Monroe at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
If you will be serving on the Staff of the 2010 National Scout Jamboree, here is the Staff Dining Hall Menu http://bsajamboree.org/Food/StaffMenu.aspx. This will be my eighth National Scout Jamboree and I usually gain weight at the Jamboree. The menus sound delicious!
High school students in the United States are invited to participate in NASA's Interdisciplinary National Science Program Incorporating Research Experience, or INSPIRE, through the program's online learning community. Applications are being accepted through June 30. NASA will make selections for the program in September. Selectees and their parents will participate in an online learning community with opportunities to interact with peers, NASA engineers, and scientists. The online community also provides appropriate grade level educational activities, discussion boards, and chat rooms for participants to gain exposure to careers and opportunities available at NASA. Students selected for the program will have the option to compete for unique grade-appropriate experiences during the summer of 2011 at NASA facilities and participating universities. INSPIRE is designed to encourage students in ninth through 12th grades to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM. The summer experience provides students with a hands-on opportunity to investigate education and careers in those disciplines. INSPIRE is part of NASA's education strategy to attract and retain students in the STEM disciplines critical to NASA's missions. For information about INSPIRE, visit www.nasa.gov/education/INSPIRE . For information about NASA's education programs, visit www.nasa.gov/education .
The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program is celebrating its twentieth anniversary. The program offers current public or private elementary and secondary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classroom teachers with demonstrated excellence in teaching an opportunity to serve in the national public policy arena. Fellows provide practical insight in establishing and operating education programs at federal agencies, such as the Department of Energy, NASA, NOAA, and the National Science Foundation. Fellowships increase understanding, communication, and cooperation between legislative and executive branches and the STEM education community. Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA), a long-time supporter of the program, introduced House Resolution 1322 on May 4th to recognize the importance of the program and the significant role Einstein Fellows play in fostering cooperation between government entities focused on STEM education issues. In a letter to other members, Congressman Honda said that his “office has had the benefit of having Einstein Fellows for the past four years and I can personally attest to the tremendous contributions they have made to science education throughout the nation.” Fourteen other members co-sponsored the legislation, including Congressmen George Miller (D-CA), Rush Holt (D-NJ), and Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX) who have hosted Fellows in their offices. Congressman Miller, as chair of the House Education and Labor Committee will oversee the disposition of the resolution. Fellows past, present, and future will gather in Washington D.C. from June 27 through 29 at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars . A dedicated group of Fellows Emeritus and those serving currently have worked for the past six months to develop a program that will highlight the myriad accomplishments of the Fellows over the past twenty years and to facilitate development of STEM education policy recommendations for the future. A compilation of the proceedings will be published and provided to the public.
Boy Scout Merit Badge Training for All
BY ANNA BOGDANOWICZ
6 May 2010, "The Institute".
It’s no secret that one way to increase the number of engineers is to get students interested in engineering early on. Taking note of that, IEEE and the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) have teamed up once again to provide training in electricity and electronics at this year’s National Scout Jamboree. To be held from 26 July to 4 August at Fort A.P. Hill, in Virginia, the jamboree is expected to attract about 40 000 Boy Scouts from around the United States.
The jamboree generally is held every four years, but this year’s event was delayed a year to coincide with the BSA’s 100th anniversary. A makeshift city will be assembled on the more than 76 000 acres of the fort’s rolling hills, complete with tens of thousands of tents and dining halls, and a post office. Youngsters will spend their days in classes learning about a variety of subjects to earn merit badges. Scouts have been earning electricity and electronics merit badges—part of the IEEE Emeritbadges.org program—since 1911 and 1963 respectively. To earn each badge, the boys must complete a class covering the fundamentals of electricity or electronics and perform hands-on exercises. Each class takes about four hours.
IEEE has been involved with the jamborees since 1981, providing funding and volunteers to train the Scouts. This year the IEEE Foundation awarded a grant of US $30 000, which will go toward paying for the thousands of electronics kits needed for the classes.
Scouts aren’t the only ones who can participate. Free lesson plans for the merit badge classes are available for anyone to download at Emeritbadges.org.
EARNING A BADGE
The IEEE Emeritbadges.org lesson plans were developed by a group of about 100 IEEE volunteers and other technical professionals, many of whom are former Boy Scouts. The electricity merit badge pamphlet was reviewed by the IEEE Components, Packaging, and Manufacturing Technology Society when it was last revised. The volunteers, led by IEEE Senior Member Ralph W. Russell II, also teach the classes. Russell, an electrical engineer now retired from Dominion Virginia Power, in Richmond, has been active as a Scout and leader in the Boy Scouts since 1953.
“It feels great to help these kids become more technically literate,” Russell says. “It’s a passion for me.”
To earn this year’s electronics merit badge, the youngsters have to assemble a breadboard with 12 flashing LEDs. Along the way, they learn the fundamentals of electronics and hear from engineers about their careers. The Scouts also see demonstrations of various technologies, including a solar display, a miniature windmill, and a humanoid robot from the U.S. Naval Academy.
The electricity merit badge class covers the basics of circuits, power, electrical components, and safety. The Scouts receive digital multimeters to help them measure voltages and make calculations.
FOR GIRLS, TOO
“Our intent is not to make this only a Scouting project,” Russell points out, “but also to apply it as a preuniversity project for girls as well as boys of all ages.”
Russell also oversees a program geared toward girls. Together with IEEE Region 3 and the Richmond Section, he launched the IEEE GirlsGoEngineering.org program in 2008 with funding from the IEEE Foundation. IEEE volunteers post engineering lesson plans on the program’s site and hold local events where girls are invited to learn about engineering and take part in hands-on activities.
Check out this "Scouting Magazine" article at http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/1005/d-trailhead.html. At 8 p.m. EDT on July 31, “A Shining Light Across America” will broadcast across the country from the 2010 National Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill, Va. The BSA’s entire family—Scouts, adult volunteer leaders, alumni, families, and communities—has a chance to take part in this unforgettable experience.
The IEEE emeritbadges.org Project will be at the Jamboree Merit Badge Midway sponsoring the Electricity Merit Badge and Electronics Merit Badge booths. We will be posting photos daily and you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Blogger. Drop by our booths and visit us at the Jamboree.
SURVEY SAYS TEACHERS COULD PROMOTE STEM CAREERS MORE A recent ASQ/Harris Interactive survey asked students what they thought of their science teachers. The students gave U.S. teachers high marks for science smarts, but their grade drops significantly when it comes to connecting learning to STEM career options. The survey shows 63 percent of youth say their teachers are not doing a good job of talking to them about engineering careers, and 42 percent feel their teachers aren't good at showing them how science can be used in a career. The survey was aimed at uncovering how well teachers translate their knowledge and passion for science to getting kids excited about engineering and science careers. The survey asked 1,134 students in grades 3-12 to provide an A-F scaled report card on their science teachers' skills in the classroom. The results? * Eighty-five percent of students say their teachers deserve at least a "B" grade when it comes to knowledge about science topics with 55 percent giving them an "A." * Nearly one third of students give their teachers a "C" or lower grade for making science more exciting and fun to learn and assigning fun hands-on projects in the classroom. * Younger students (3-6 grades) rate their science teachers with higher marks for making science exciting and hands-on than older students (7-12 grades) do. *When teachers do promote engineering and science careers, they are doing it more with boys than girls. * Girls (20 percent) are more likely than boys (12 percent) to give teachers a failing "F" grade for discussing engineering as a future career. Forty-eight percent of girls give a "C" or lower grade for showing how science can be used in a future career, compared to 38 percent for boys. Triangle Coalition member, the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center, provides a wide range of resources educators and others can use to help students explore over 185 STEM and healthcare careers. The site explains education requirements for each field -- including those launching from an associate's degree -- along with salary data, precollege ideas, summer STEM camp listings, and a snapshot showing what it might be like to work in each field. Browse interviews with hundreds of professionals who offer candid insight into their own diverse careers. Most resources are also as PDFs, PowerPoints, and podcasts. There are newsletters, RSS feeds, and a Twitter option to keep students up to date on the latest in STEM careers. Find out more at www.careercornerstone.org.
That's right, we're hamming it up at NSJ 2010 with our own radio station (would you expect anything less from us?). Frequencies and times TBA, but you won't want to miss our riveting broadcasts as we reach out to our fellow ham fans around the globe. Brush up on your FCC protocols and keep your dials tuned right here as we countdown to the Jamboree.
Soldering On....
 Does the smell of melting rosin excite you? Could you throw down with a Detroit spot welding robot? Could you? Do you have what it takes to solder with the best IEEE and the BSA has to offer? If so, come on over to the Merit Badge Midway during NSJ 2010 for the adults-only World's Best Soldering Competition in the World. Date and time are TBD. Pros and amateurs alike can bring their own gear or use our soldering stations. How can you find us? Our tent will be festooned with pink flamingoes. We've attached a picture in case you need a reminder. Stay tuned for more.
THIRD-GRADERS CREATE 75 ACRES OF NEW FOREST LAND More than 30,000 third-grade students will be able to plant the equivalent of almost 75 acres of new forest lands and learn about the environmental benefits of trees thanks to an award-winning program provided by Dominion Resources and its subsidiaries. Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy. Dominion's Project Plant It! is growing in its fourth year to include school systems in six states in the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions. The program was developed to educate children and to improve the environment. School systems in Maryland and North Carolina are participating for the first time this year, joining schools in Virginia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Teachers participating in Project Plant It! received a comprehensive kit of instructional materials, including lesson plans, posters, a DVD with videos about planting trees, and stickers and certificates. At the conclusion of the program, each student will receive a tree seedling to plant at home on Arbor Day, April 30. The educational materials and the tree seedlings are provided by Dominion at no cost to the schools. According to the Virginia Department of Forestry, the equivalent of almost 75 acres of new forest land will be created if all 30,000 tree seedlings are planted and grow to maturity. More information about Project Plant It! including lesson plans, additional activities about trees, and videos about planting and caring for trees are available at www.projectplantit.com.
Electricity & Electronics Merit Badges at 2010 National Scout Jamboree
The IEEE emeritbadges.org Project will be sponsoring the Electricity Merit Badge Booth and the Electronics Merit Badge Booth at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree. The Jamboree will be held at Ft. A. P. Hill in Caroline County, VA. The booths will be located in the Merit Badge Midway on the East End of the Public Parking Area.
Scouts working on the Electricty Merit Badge will learn the basics of electricity and receive a digital multimeter to take home. Scouts working on the Electronics Merit Badge will learn the basics of electronics and complete a digital microprocessor based LED kit to take home. The booths will also have a Careers & Demonstrations Area. Some of the expected demonstrations include a humanoid robot, a Segway, solar, wind, thermography and amateur radio station. The call sign K6BSA will be used for the amateur radio station. QSL and SWL cards will be issued by the amateur radio station during the Jamboree.
Tips For A Safe 2010 National Scout Jamboree
A few tips for having a safe Jamboree:
- Stay or get into shape. There will be plenty of walking even if you are just walking to the booths from the parking lot. There might also be dancing at the booths if we are having a good time!
- Prepare for very hot and humid weather. Spend time outside in the heat before arriving at the Jamboree. Know the signs of and how to treat heat related illnesses.
- Wear a good pair of walking shoes. Don’t wear open toed sandles for flip-flops. Take care of your feet and keep them dry. Carry a dry pair of socks.
- Get accustomed to drinking plenty of water. You might need a few gallons of water every day during the 100+ degree weather.
"Be Prepared" for Hazy, Hot & Humid Weather at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree
The best defense is prevention. Here are some prevention tips:
- Drink more fluids, regardless of your activity level. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink.
-
- Don’t drink liquids that contain caffeine or large amounts of sugar–these actually cause you to lose more body fluid. Also, avoid very cold drinks, because they can cause stomach cramps.
- Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.
- NEVER leave anyone in a closed, parked vehicle.
- Try to rest often in shady areas.
- Protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat (also keeps you cooler) and sunglasses and by putting on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher (the most effective products say “broad spectrum” or “UVA/UVB protection” on their labels).
NREL AND 3M SIGN AGREEMENT ON RENEWABLE ENERGY RESEARCH Triangle Association members, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and 3M, have announced a series of Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs). The collaborative effort demonstrates both 3M's and NREL's commitments to meeting the nation's clean energy needs by developing technologies that are vital to producing large-scale sources of new renewable electricity and fuel at competitive costs. The agreements between NREL and 3M establish joint investigations in three key areas of innovation: thin-film photovoltaics, concentrating solar power, and biofuels. The CRADAs range from jointly identifying and developing critical aspects of renewable energy technology to accelerated testing of 3M designs and scaling-up successful prototype technologies for commercial production. Both 3M and NREL are also committed to STEM education. 3M and the 3M Foundation donate millions to education, arts and cultural, health and human services, and environmental organizations. NREL's Office of Education Programs serves the education and research missions of NREL and DOE in several major areas including: student competitions and programs emphasize mathematics and renewable energy science and technology, laboratory research internships and fellowships provide valuable research and engineering opportunities at NREL, and education programs offer teachers direct access to current renewable energy research and technologies in a laboratory setting. NREL also works with colleges and universities through joint research; faculty and postdoctoral appointments; access to facilities; and partnerships with HBCU, Hispanic-serving, and Native American institutions.
UP locomotive marks Boy Scouts' centennial
By "Progressive Rail Roading"
Last week, Union Pacific Railroad unveiled the UP No. 2010 Boy Scouts of America Locomotive, which commemorates the youth organization’s centennial celebration.
The Boy Scouts-themed locomotive is decorated with the national Boy Scouts logo, the Boy Scouts of America 100th anniversary logo, the words “100 years of scouting,” 10 emblems representing stages of scouting and an 11th emblem for the 2010 National Scout Jamboree.
The unit represents the 14th commemorative locomotive UP has created in its 150-year history.
Save An Engineer, Save The World
by Mike Anderson
"So, what can we do to help students find the passion that led many of us to get into science and engineering in the first place?" Learn More
Humanitarian Technology Challenge (HTC)
HTC is a unique partnership that develops and implements technological solutions to selected humanitarian challenges in developing countries.
-- NASA'S DIGITAL LEARNING NETWORK WEBCASTS
NASA's Digital Learning Network is presenting a series of webcasts to assist educators in staying current on NASA education resources and related products. During each event, product producers, authors, and experts will demonstrate their materials designed to optimize awareness and understanding of science concepts. Instructional objectives, accessing the materials and primary contacts for the materials will also be discussed. During the webcasts, participants will be able to submit questions to the presenter that will be addressed during the presentation. In the coming months, the following topics will be covered:
* NASA Fit Explorers Feb. 24, 2010, 4-5 p.m. EST
* NASA eProfessional Development Network -- Robotics Course: March 31, 2010, 4-5 p.m. EDT
* MoonWorld: April 28, 2010, 4-5 p.m. EDT
* On the Moon: May 26, 2010, 4-5 p.m. EDT
The 2010 National Scout Jamboree Merit Badge Midway will be located along Thomas Road on the east end of the public parking area. Over 100 merit badges are expected to be represented at the midway. The IEEE emeritbadges.org Project will be sponsoring the Electricity and the Electronics Merit Badge Booths where scouts can complete both merit badges. The Electricity and the Electronics Merit Badge Booths will also include a Careers and Demonstrations area.
2010 National Scout Jamboree Daily Schedule
TEEN CAREERS POLL: BOYS MOTIVATED BY HIGHER SALARY WHILE MORE GIRLS ARE SELF-MOTIVATED As the number of women surpasses men in the workforce, a recent Junior Achievement (JA)-ING poll found striking differences in the opinions of teenage boys and girls in what motivates them to excel on the job and what tools they consider important in determining career success. According to the survey, motivation to succeed stems from very different places for boys and girls. The JA-ING poll found that fewer girls than boys said they needed perks such as a promotion and raise (girls 38%, boys 56%), to excel on the job. When asked if they needed additional motivation to succeed, 40% of girls responded that they did not, while only 22% of boys said they needed no extra motivation. Also, when asked what would motivate them to take a less than ideal job, the poll found that fewer girls say they are motivated by a higher salary than boys, with 67% girl respondents saying they were motivated by a higher salary versus 74% of boy respondents. Boys and girls also had differing opinions on how to prepare for career success. While 85% of girls identified schools programs, such as job shadowing, that help develop work skills and prepare them for a career, only 78% of boys identified the above as important for career readiness. Furthermore, girls (68%) placed more value on mentoring and networking than boys (61%) in helping them get a good job. As women start to outnumber men in the workforce, taking a look at what careers boys and girls aspire to can provide insight on whether this new workplace balance is here to stay. According to the JA-ING poll, girls are still lagging behind boys in choosing careers in math and science -- only 10% of girls picked engineering and science versus 19% of boys, and 2% of girls are pursuing careers in computers versus 8% of boys. However, girls are choosing careers that are and will continue to be in high demand -- 20% of girls want to be doctors versus only 9% of boys, and 13% of girls are pursuing teaching versus 4% of boys. Girls are selecting those jobs which tend to be more in demand, which should further tilt the employment scales in their favor. The survey is available online. Triangle Coalition member, the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center, provides teens, students, counselors, and parents with resources to explore and compare over 185 careers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and healthcare.
NEWS from IEEE-USA
2001 L Street, N.W., Suite 700
Washington, DC 20036-4910
IEEE Fellow, Former Lockheed Martin CEO Norm Augustine Addresses Role of Science & Engineering in U.S. Job Creation at IEEE-USA Annual Meeting
NASHVILLE, TENN. (5 March 2010) -- Innovation is the key for the United States to thrive in an increasingly global economy, IEEE Fellow Norman R. Augustine said at the IEEE-USA Annual Meeting on Friday morning.
Augustine, retired chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin, chaired the committee that produced the 2005 report, "Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future." He said Friday the focus of report was jobs, not just in science and engineering but all occupations.
Augustine added that while only 4 percent of jobs in the U.S. workforce are held by engineers and scientists, they play a pivotal role creating jobs for the other 96 percent.
"That's why the average citizen should be concerned about the state of science and engineering in our country," Augustine said in his keynote address at the Nashville Airport Marriott.
The theme for IEEE-USA's yearly gathering of volunteer leaders is, "The Gathering Storm: Are You Engineering the Solutions?" To follow the sessions, go to the IEEE-USA Annual Meeting blog at http://ieee-usa.blogspot.com/.
Augustine lamented that many of the challenges facing the country in 2005 are still confronting us today. He cited statistics showing the U.S. K-12 education system still "performing abysmally" by international standards. This doesn't bode well for a nation trying to maintain its position as the world leader in science, engineering and technology.
"Aviation and informatics has brought the world together, leading to the death of distance," Augustine said. U.S. citizens now have to "compete for jobs with their neighbors from all around the world. … If we are going to compete, it's going to have to be through innovation."
"Rising Above the Gathering Storm" served as the basis for the America COMPETES Act of 2007, legislation that bolsters research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and improves educational programs. The authorization bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives, 397-20, and the Senate, 88-8, and was signed into law by former President George W. Bush. IEEE-USA lobbied strongly in favor of the bill.
America COMPETES was fully funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which President Barack Obama signed into law.
A video of Augustine’s speech will be available soon on the IEEE-USA homepage.
IEEE-USA advances the public good and promotes the careers and public policy interests of more than 210,000 engineers, scientists and allied professionals who are U.S. members of IEEE. http://www.ieeeusa.org
Contact: Chris McManes
IEEE-USA Public Relations Manager
202-530-8356
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
A new TV show and website, SciGirls, has debuted on PBS stations. The new program want to make Science cool for girls.
IEEE INTRODUCES TAGLINE - ADVANCING TECHNOLOGY FOR HUMANITY: IEEE has unveiled its tagline: Advancing Technology for Humanity. The tagline showcases the organization's basic tenet that IEEE and its members across the engineering, computing and technology community worldwide advance innovation and technological excellence for humankind.
The tagline, which should only be utilized in a visual treatment with the IEEE Master Brand, was introduced through a fast-moving video <http://www.ieee.org/portal/ieeetv/viewer.html?progId=121511> illustrating how innovations by IEEE members positively impact the world. The tagline and accompanying video reflect IEEE's strategic vision and values.
The tagline was selected after extensive research across four major global target audiences: pre-university students, university students, professionals and members. It was part of the IEEE Public Visibility initiative, established in 2008 by the IEEE Board of Directors to increase the visibility of IEEE, its members and the profession.
The tagline is being rolled out to more than 395,000 IEEE members and staff across the globe. It also will be integrated into the upcoming launch of the redesigned IEEE main site and other corporate applications. Find out more at <www.ieee.org/tagline> or read the full press release at <http://www.ieee.org/web/aboutus/news/2010/10feb.html>.
The First Place award ($2,000) for the 2010 IEEE-USA Online Video Competition goes to Sergio Flores Castro, Miguel Murillo and Carolina Flores of UNLV. Check out their entry at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET3SDuY55s0.
During Engineers Week 2010, IEEE-USA will present four scholarship awards totaling $5,000 to U.S. undergraduate students who create the most effective 90-second video clips reinforcing for an 11-to-13-year-old audience on "How Engineers Make a World of Difference." Winners will be announced as part of an EWeek Web cast to college students from Howard University in Washington, DC, on Thursday, 18 February. In its third annual competition, IEEE-USA is awarding the following: first prize, $2,000; second, $1,500; and third, $1,000. A special award of $500 will be given for the most innovative and effective presentation of a video entry to the "tween" target audience. The three judge panel includes: Andrew Quecan, a Ph.D. student in electrical engineering Stanford University; Suzette Aguilar, a Ph.D. student in radio frequency engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and Nate Ball, mechanical engineer and host of PBS' Design Squad. The award winning entries will also be feature in the first nationwide Web-based gathering of engineering students, an "Engineers Week Blast!" live from Howard University in Washington, D.C. on 18 Feb. from 8-9 p.m. ET, at http://www.ibroadcasts.tv/asce-live-webcast.html.
DOTMed News (Barbara Kram) - "This week marks the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America and that has some significance for the medical technology field. It turns out that a scouting merit badge program provides one of the nation's earliest prep programs for engineering. American educators have long bemoaned our shortage of students pursuing the so-called STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. The Boy Scouts are part of the solution with their merit badges for electricity and electronics. IEEE Spurs the Effort An IEEE program, www.emeritbadges.org, has developed hands-on electricity and electronics instructional material based on the Boy Scouts' merit badge requirements. (Instructional material for computer education is also being developed.) Any student, boy or girl, can use the program to enhance technical literacy and learn more about engineering and other technical career options. IEEE is the title sponsor of the Electricity and Electronics merit badge booths at this summer's 2010 National Scout Jamboree. "Our mission is a global, non-discriminatory pre-university technology education program for boys and girls," said Ralph W. Russell II, chair of the IEEE Scouting Program, and an account manager at Dominion Virginia Power. Russell is a former Boy Scout and also a volunteer at the Jamboree Merit Badge Midway, which holds training sessions in the field, conducted at the Jamboree. "Biomedical companies and IEEE need talented people coming into this industry and we want to promote boys' and girls' participation in our program. It's not just a scouting project. We're promoting a vehicle through which we teach all students, boys and girls, about the field.... Engineers, technicians, designers and everyone has to understand technology. We are hoping to fill the pipeline and improve technical literacy around the world," Russell said. With the need for biomedical expertise growing, the scouting and IEEE efforts are more important than ever. Find out about the programs at www.emeritbadges.org and www.GirlsGoEngineering.org." DOTMed News, 11 February 2010, http://www.dotmed.com/news/story/11625
To foster an interest in the engineering profession, IEEE serves student members and colleges around the world. IEEE realizes that high school student exposure to the accomplishments of engineers is critical to significantly increase engineering enrollment at the university level. Thus, the IEEE created and sponsors the IEEE Scouting Program, whose mission it is to provide a global pre-university technology education program, primarily through the Boy Scout and Girl Scout organizations. The program is designed to reach pre-university students and educators to “enhance the level of technological literacy of pre-university educators and students worldwide”. The program has two main activities 1) emeritbadges.org (Boy Scouts) and (2) GirlsGoEngineering.org (Girl Scouts).
2009 FIRST "HOTSHOT!" TECH CHALLENGE
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology, has launched its 2009 FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) season with an online kickoff event unveiling this year's game, "Hotshot!" The FIRST Tech Challenge is an intermediate robotics competition designed for 14 to 18 year-old high-school students, where teams of up to ten students work alongside mentors, applying real-world math and science concepts to solve the annual challenge. Students compete and cooperate in team alliances at high-energy regional tournaments that reward the effectiveness of each robot, the power of collaboration, and the determination of students. Through their FIRST involvement, students discover the rewarding and engaging process of innovation and engineering. "Hotshot!" was developed with the input of professional robotics designers, engineers, and sensor experts from across the country to provide a relevant engineering challenge. The use of sensors to track and target, manipulators to collect objects, and launching mechanisms to score those objects are all part of the challenge. Coupled with uneven playing surfaces and challenging goal locations, "Hotshot!" emulates many things real-world robotics designers face.
More than 13,000 high-school-aged young people are expected to participate in this year's competition, in which robots will develop and execute both offensive and defensive strategies to score balls into a rotatable center goal and off-field goals in the last 30 seconds of a match. Using a combination of sensors including infrared tracking (IR), line following, ultrasonic, touch, and more, students will program their robots to operate in both autonomous and tele-operated modes. The HotShot! matches will last two minutes and thirty seconds, and will begin with a 30 second autonomous period followed by a two-minute tele-operated period. More details are at www.usfirst.org.
IEEE-USA Online Engineering Video Competition Offers $5,000 in Scholarships Awards
WASHINGTON -- IEEE-USA is launching the organization's third online engineering video competition for undergraduate students on "How Engineers Make a World of Difference." IEEE-USA will present four scholarship awards totaling $5,000 to undergraduates who create the most effective 90-second video clips reinforcing for an 11-to-13-year-old audience how engineers improve the world. Entries must be submitted through YouTube by midnight Eastern Time on Friday, 15 January 2010. Winning entries will be announced and shown during Engineers Week, 14-20 February 2010.
Entries in the 2009-10 competition should provide an individual profile of an engineer and how he or she makes "a world of difference." Entries will be judged on their effectiveness in reaching the target audience by portraying engineers as "real people" who seek to make life better, as well as on their originality, creativity and entertainment value.
First prize is: $2,000; second prize, $1,500; and third prize, $1,000. The first-place winner also will receive up to $1,000 to cover travel expenses to receive his/her award at the IEEE-USA Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tenn., on 6 March 2010.
Further, a special award for $500 will be presented for the most innovative and effective showing of a video entry to a "tweener" target audience. This could involve presenting the video entered in the competition at a university engineering expo for K-12 students, in a middle school classroom, with a scout group, or in another setting with 11-to-13-year-olds.
For the first time, the video competition is open to all U.S. undergraduate students regardless of academic discipline. However, at least one undergraduate participant must be an IEEE student member. For the third consecutive year, the competition will be judged by two engineering graduate Ph.D. students, Andrew Quecan and Suzette Aguilar; and by Nate Ball, engineer-host for PBS' "Design Squad."
For more information on how to enter the IEEE-USA Online Engineering Video Scholarship Competition and to upload an entry on YouTube, visit http://www.ieeeusa.org/communications/video_competition.
Information on how to become an IEEE student member is available at http://www.ieee.org/web/membership/join/join.html.
IEEE-USA advances the public good and promotes the careers and public policy interests of more than 210,000 engineers, scientists and allied professionals who are U.S. members of IEEE. IEEE-USA is part of IEEE, the world's largest technical professional society with 375,000 members in 160 countries. See http://www.ieeeusa.org.
IEEE GirlsGoEngineering.org
energizing girls towards engineering careers....
The IEEE GirlsGoEngineering.org Project is a pre-university education and career preparation program of the IEEE. The project addresses the issue of women being under represented in engineering career fields. The project team studied the methods of technology learning for girls. They are now designing age and gender appropriate material and programs to enhance technical literacy. They are also developing material to help girls learn more about viable engineering and other technical career options. The project was introduced at the 2008 Girl Scout National Council Session/51st Convention in Indianapolis, IN, USA.
IEEE GirlsGoEngineering.org will provide girls, educators, and adult leaders with programs, activities, material, and web resources to:
-
Develop in girls an appreciation for engineering principles.
-
Enable girls to learn to enjoy engineering practices.
-
Energize girls towards careers in engineering, mathematics, and the physical sciences
For More Information..
For more information about the IEEE GirlsGoEngineering.org Project visit their website at www.GirlsGoEngineering.org or send an email to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
Read more...
|
Education
