By Decire Gonzalez KC'S BLOG • • • • 0 Comments

International Women in Engineering Day

This Saturday, June 23rd, will mark the second International Women in Engineering Day (INWED). Initially, popularity and enthusiasm for the day expanded the celebration from its concentrated UK origins to become a worldwide event.

Originally launched in 2014 by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES), Women in Engineering Day sought to recognize and celebrate the presence and importance of women in engineering. INWED’s website calls the day “an accessible and inspiring way for companies, institutions, organizations, schools, universities, and individuals to raise the profile of women in STEM and related sectors, showcase a commitment to diversity, and inspire future generations by organizing their own events and activities.”

WES’ own mission, to be active supporters of women, collaborators with a number of government agencies and policy makers, and challengers of stagnant cultures, merges into the yearly celebration of INWED.

This year’s theme, #RaisingTheBar, will focus on encouraging all supporting groups to organize events in support of INWED. Some examples on how to get involved, according to the campaign website, include becoming a STEM ambassador; hosting a networking, mentoring, careers, or social event; joining WES as a corporate partner; and/or promoting this year’s theme with the #RaisingTheBar hashtag.

For more information about International Women in Engineering Day and how you or your organization can participate, visit www.inwed.org.uk.

By Evan Thomas KC'S BLOG • • • • • 0 Comments

Making Engineering Accessible

TED is a lecture series with events around the world focusing on Technology, Entertainment, and Design. As designers who work to create a more functional world, we at KC feel TED “Talks” generally do an excellent job of bringing big, complex ideas down to the ground. Here’s one of our favorites: Fawn Qiu’s “Easy DIY projects for kid engineers”.

Fawn Qiu’s mission to develop simple, clever, and engaging engineering projects for children is guided by three principles:

  1. Every project has a low floor, in that they are affordable and technically simple.
  2. Every project has a high ceiling, meaning there is plenty of room for the scope of the project to grow. Creativity is encouraged.
  3. Every project is customizable. In order to keep people engaged, it’s important to make sure they are invested in the project’s outcome. KC knows how important this is. Every one of our projects is a custom solution for a client with very specific needs—always new, always a challenge that we are thrilled to overcome.

We think accessible science projects are absolutely instrumental in getting children interested in the STEM fields from a young age. Watch Ms. Qiu’s video above, and then check out some of the links below for specific projects ideas. Be sure to find the KC table at your next school career fair!

  1. Gumdrop Structural Engineering Challenge
  2. Simple Pneumatic Machine
  3. Propeller-Powered Car
  4. Fluid-Powered Car
  5. Engineer a Bridge