Engineering takes center stage at two area events 

Anyone interested in engineering will want to mark their calendars for the Engineering Expo at White Plains High School April 14 and the American Society for Engineering Education Northeast Section Conference on April 19 and 20 at Fairfield University’s School of Engineering and Computing.

April is shaping up to be engineering month in our area. First, the Engineering Expo, geared toward advising middle school and high school students about careers in engineering, will take place 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. April 14 at White Plains High School.   

More than 100 exhibitors and 40-plus colleges and universities will participate. In addition, the Middle School Expo Test Lab will once again provide an interactive experience for students to connect their STEM education to real world applications.  

“Engineering ranks number one in career opportunities for college graduates,” said Mal McLaren, executive chairman of McLaren Engineering and the Expo’s founder and organizer, “and I encourage parents of school-aged children, as young as middle school, to attend the Engineering Expo to expose them to the field. Engineers play a key role in virtually everything we do. However, U.S. businesses are experiencing a shortage of engineers, with 89% saying they have difficulty filling engineering positions. Our country and economy need many more trained in engineering ,and the Expo is designed to help meet this demand by encouraging more students to pursue engineering studies.” 

For more, visit www.BeAnEngineer.org.  

Five days later, Fairfield University’s School of Engineering and Computing will begin the American Society for Engineering Education Northeast Section Conference (April 19 and 20).  

“The entire community of students, faculty and staff in the School of Engineering and Computing at Fairfield is excited to host our neighboring universities in what will be a wonderful event and space for new ideas and networking,” said Dean and Professor Andres Leonardo Carrano, Ph.D.  

The ASEE-NE Conference provides a platform for engineering educators and professionals to share important topics in engineering education and cutting-edge research in preparing engineers to excel. 

The conference, which is open to engineering educators, professionals and students, will feature a keynote address on “Designing a Sustainable Future” from Julie Zimmerman, Ph.D., vice provost for plenary solutions and professor of green engineering at Yale University. The plenary talk will be delivered by Grant Crawford, PE, Ph.D., FASEE, president-elect, American Society for Engineering Education; colonel (retired), U.S. Army; and professor at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. 

Zimmerman, whose work is focused on advancing innovations in sustainable technologies, pioneered the fundamental framework for her field with her seminal publications on the “Twelve Principles of Green Engineering” in 2003. Prior to coming to Yale, Zimmerman was a program manager at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where she established the national sustainable design competition, P3 (People, Prosperity and Planet) Award, which has engaged thousands of students from hundreds of universities across the U.S. since 2004. 

For more, visit www.fairfield.edu/asee-northeast-2024.