Engineers Week Kicks Off in Washington

Representatives from Carnegie Mellon University’s National Robotics Engineering Center show students how robots are made and controlled. They’re using robots made from Legos for this demonstration. The kids also have the opportunity to create their own Le

A White Box robot from the National Robotics Engineering Center struts its stuff at the National Engineers Week Foundation Family Day in Washington. Photo: Wayne Rash / eWEEK

After learning about robotics and how to build a Lego robot, kids attending the National Engineers Week Family Day had a chance to design and build their own. Photo: Wayne Rash / eWEEK

Engineers from ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) help students design and make parachutes that will carry small amounts of cargo, such as this load of binder clips. Photo: Wayne Rash / eWEEK

A student, assisted by Navy engineers from the U.S. Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program, tries to figure out exactly how many paper clips it will take for a piece of Styrofoam dunnage to become neutrally buoyant. Photo: Wayne Rash / eWEEK

The Navy was also teaching kids how to make boats from Play-Doh that will carry valuable cargo. Photo: Wayne Rash / eWEEK

The American Helicopter Society raised interest in aircraft design with this robotic helicopter. Sadly, they weren’t allowed to fly it inside. Photo: Wayne Rash / eWEEK

Staff from the new PBS series ‘Design Squad’ challenged students to design and build a girder from paper that would hold up $2.00 worth of pennies. The PBS program helped sponsor a number of other activities at the Engineers Week event. Photo

Engineers from NISH show products that the organization has developed to help physically challenged engineers do their work. Photo: Wayne Rash / eWEEK

Students learn to make solid structures from materials that are anything but-in this case, from marshmallows and toothpicks. Photo: Wayne Rash / eWEEK

Representatives of the IEEE were providing something free to all attendees. Not everyone took them up on it, however. Photo: Wayne Rash / eWEEK

Representatives from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and audience participants show the physics of waves, and how waves can be made and modified. Photo: Wayne Rash / eWEEK

The AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) showed how a wind tunnel works. The organization also showed spacecraft shields that had been tested, most with holes blasted in them. Photo: Wayne Rash / eWEEK

Robots from the Vex League, driven by students, face off and take each other on in a table-top arena. Photo: Wayne Rash / eWEEK

Older students produce more capable robots. This example, also from the Vex League, is designed with a platform that can be raised so that it can drop heavy objects on competing robots. Photo: Wayne Rash / eWEEK

Hundreds of students fill the atrium of the National Building Museum in Washington. This building, formerly the home of the U.S. Pension Bureau, was built in 1887. It was designed by U.S. Army Engineer General Montgomery Meigs. Photo: Wayne R