If you haven’t heard already, this week (Feb. 14th-20th) is National Engineers Week. We at eGFI couldn’t be more excited, and hope that you’ll join the festivities. Many schools and universities across the nation have special events planned. If you’re near DC, you can visit us at Discover Engineering Family Day (Sat. Feb. 20 at the National Building Museum), where engineering daredevil Nate Ball will be demonstrating his ATLAS Ascender. Swing by the eGFI table and enter to win a free iPod Touch!
Every two years we get to marvel at the speed, skill and artistry of the world’s top athletes and watch increasingly lavish opening and closing ceremonies, yet few of us ponder the work that goes on behind the scenes at the Olympic Games. In a recent post on her engineering education blog, Celeste Baine estimates that there were about 4,000 engineers involved in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, doing things like planning the pyrotechnics of the torch lighting and creating the fastest and most efficient running shoe.
Recently we blogged about the Burj Dubai, which as of now holds the title of world’s tallest building. If that story caught your attention, be sure to check out this really cool video from the National Geographic Channel, about the history of skyscrapers:
You may know him as the host of PBS’s Design Squad, or for his guest appearances on The Discovery Channel in programs like Mythbusters. These days Nate Ball is an engineer on the go, whether he’s creating useful gadgets or teaching himself to do a back flip off a wall (see the video below for a demonstration). Nate received both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from M.I.T., where he studied mechanical engineering – when he wasn’t busy being an NCAA All-American pole-vaulter, that is.
