Engineers Week (February 17-23, 2008) Focuses on Diversity in Engineering
Organized by the National Society of Professional Engineers, this year’s Engineers Week has focused on expanding diversity in the engineering field and encouraging underrepresented groups – such as women and minorities - to consider such careers.
To promote engineering to the younger public, IBM presented a three-dimensional online game engaging students’ skills with critical engineering issues, and IEEE-USA organized an online engineering video competition that awards undergraduate students for developing catchy engineering videos for YouTube.
To encourage greater participation by women in this field, the Global Marathon for, by, and about Women in Engineering, a twenty-four-hour global event that incorporates live Internet chats, telephone conversations, and web casts, will take place in March.
Engineers Week 2008 is supported by a vast coalition, including ANSI members IBM Corp. (co-chair), the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc., the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, IEEE-USA, the Institute of Industrial Engineers, the National Council of Examiners for Engineering & Surveying, the Project Management Institute, the Society of Petroleum Engineers, the Boeing Company, ExxonMobil Corporation, Symantec Corporation, and 3M.
To learn more about this year’s Engineers Week, click here.
IEEE Introduces Women in Engineering Magazine
ANSI member and accredited standards developer the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers has launched the premiere issue of IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine, a new publication that will be issued twice a year to IEEE Women in Engineering members.
Sent as an interactive PDF file which enables easy navigation through its different sections, the magazine seeks to enroll, retain, and support more women in the engineering and science fields. Its articles cover engineering and scientific subjects along with social topics such as careers, health care, medicine, law, governance, and women’s issues.
With more than 12,000 members, IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) is an international professional organization dedicated to empowering women engineers and scientists worldwide though networking, training and advocacy. Ms. Karen Panetta, who currently chairs the IEEE Women in Engineering Committee, serves as editor-in-chief of the publication.
CEA and the National Association of Broadcasters Present AntennaWeb.org
ANSI member and accredited standards developer the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) partnered with the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) to produce AntennaWeb.org, an online mapping system that helps consumers and electronics retailers to locate the proper outdoor antenna to receive free local broadcast channels.
AntennaWeb users can input their home address to receive over-the-air digital broadcasts with higher picture and sound quality, and have access to multiple channels of free programming. Based on geographical maps and signal strengths, AntennaWeb locates the best antenna whether it is for use with a home satellite system, a high-definition television (HDTV), or a traditional analog set.
The program’s database also accounts for obstructions between the transmitter and the receiving antenna that can hamper signals and affect picture quality. The CEA/NAB partnership includes infrastructure and site capacity upgrades, site design improvements, and database upgrades.
New Technical Report on Measurement for Slip Resistance
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has registered a new technical report, Using Variable Angle Tribometers (VATs) for Measurement of the Slip Resistance of Walkway Surfaces (ANSI/ASSE TR-A1264.3-2007).
Under the secretariat of ANSI member and accredited standards developer the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), the A1264.2 subcommittee of the A1264 ANSI-Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) developed this technical paper to provide guidance for the performance of slip resistance testing of walkway surfaces, such as sidewalks, catwalks in factories, and floors in commercial venues.
Due for publication later this month, the ANSI/ASSE technical paper covers the technical aspects, legislation, standards activities, and operation of two devices - the Brungraber Mark II and the English XL - commonly used for testing the slip resistance of walkway surfaces.