The idea for the U.S. National Engineers Week (EWeek) Future City Competition germinated back in 1992. Little did the planners in IEEE-USA’s Washington office realize that 15 years later, the competition to design a city in software would blossom into one of the week’s most successful activities. What began with five regional competitions and the participation of 175 middle schools and about 600 students has grown to 38 regional contests in roughly 11 000 schools. The activity will reach more than 30 000 students during this year’s EWeek, to take place from 18 to 24 February.

“Every year we challenge middle-school students with a task that would leave most adults shaking their head,” says Future City National Director Carol Rieg, who helped plan the first competition as an IEEE-USA consultant. “But that level of difficulty only seems to invigorate these kids.” Winners of the competition will be announced on 21 February.

Future City (http://www.futurecity.org) is one of many activities that celebrate the engineering profession and the engineers whose work is being recognized. EWeek is designed to instill pride among engineers, increase public awareness of the key role engineers play in society, and help students build their technological literacy and creative skills. The Society of Manufacturing Engineers and Tyco Electronics Corp. cochair this year’s EWeek. The IEEE served as lead society in 1993 and 2004.

Another feature of EWeek is an essay contest that the IEEE is sponsoring. Students were asked to write about an energy strategy for their future city that includes fuel cell systems for generating power. The essay contest winners will be announced 21 February.

The IEEE also provides significant financial support for the Discover Engineering Family Day (http://www.eweekdcfamilyday), which will launch the EWeek activities in Washington, D.C., at the National Building Museum on 17 February. Family Day enlists local IEEE members to help youngsters and their parents learn electrical engineering principles through hands-on activities. One event lets students use a popular breadboard kit to build different types of circuits that they can take home. The past three Family Days have attracted the museum’s largest crowds ever.

Others EWeek features include:

• Design Squad, an engineering-based PBS reality TV show that debuts during EWeek. The IEEE is a major sponsor of the weekly program, which aims to inspire the next generation of engineers by showing how high-school students solve a new engineering challenge each week. Design Squad includes educational materials and a Web site (http://pbskids.org/designsquad/) to connect youngsters to engineering.                       

• The seventh annual “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day,” slated for 22 February. This event enlists 125 organizations to mobilize 11 000 women engineers who, along with male colleagues, will organize activities for more than one million girls around the United States. The IEEE Women in Engineering affinity group is a major participant. Go to http://www.eweek.org/site/News/Eweek/2007_nationalpledgeroster.shtml to see what some groups will be doing.

Founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers in 1951, EWeek is a coalition of more than 120 engineering, educational and cultural societies, companies, and government agencies.

CANADA AND UK, TOO Other countries will also be celebrating the contributions of their engineers. Canada’s National Engineering and Geoscience Week (http://www.new-sng.com/) kicks off on 24 February and lasts until 4 March. Activities include the 16th annual model bridge competition in which students in grades 7 to 9 design and build bridges out of popsicle sticks and glue. And the Shaving Cream Tower Activities requires students to build the tallest structure they can out of shaving cream, toothpicks, and plastic straws in 10 minutes.

Also this year, the British Association for the Advancement of Science expanded the UK’s National Science Week to become its 10-day National Science and Engineering week (http://www.the-ba.net/the-ba/Events/NSEW/), being held 9 to 18 March. More than 500 events are planned, including demonstrations showing youngsters how to build and launch a rocket and how to use technology to attack a castle.