HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT ENGINEERING? What is engineering all about, anyway? And where can my daughter study it?

The new TryEngineering Web site (http://www.tryengineering.org) has all the information you might want on engineering careers, and it adds a helpful dose of interactive activities. The site, which went live in June, aims to inform students (ages 8 to 18), teachers, school counselors, and parents about what engineering is and what engineers do. It was put together by a partnership of the IEEE, IBM, and the New York Hall of Science.

The site is divided into a number of different sections to answer the many questions people have:

• Ask an Expert lets visitors get answers to engineering-related questions. An engineer or an engineering undergraduate student replies to each query. Just e-mail your question and await the answer.

• Become an Engineer provides information on university programs, tips for choosing courses, and the plain truth on how to apply for financial aid.

• Find a University lets you search for accredited engineering and technology degree programs in Canada and the United States. The list is expected to be expanded soon to include programs in other English-speaking countries, as well as in France and Germany.

• Lesson Plans allows teachers to download free lessons developed according to U.S. National Education Standards on a variety of technical topics, such as building a robot arm, the workings of electric motors, and constructing functioning models of household items.

• Life of an Engineer profiles real-life engineers, highlighting the many duties they perform daily.

• Play Games lets students try virtual activities that introduce them to basic engineering concepts. The Beat the Heat game has them design a house that can remain at a comfortable temperature year-round using solar energy, and Millennium Train calls for the design of a railway transportation system that would run in the next century.

TryEngineering is a project of the IEEE Center for Pre-
University Engineering Education, an outreach organization that encourages students to study engineering in college.

For more information see Program Promotes 
Engineering to Young People, The Institute, March 2006.