Northrop Grumman Welcomes the Start of Its Annual Discover "E" Program
Northrop Grumman is kicking off its annual celebration of Engineers Week with a number of events, including the annual launch of the Discover "E" program that has become an annual labor of love among the sector's engineering community.

In the coming months, more than 300 engineers from the company will travel to local area middle and high schools and spend the day with students — sharing their engineering experiences and involving the students in hands-on, science-related classroom projects and activities. Their time and effort is devoted to encouraging the students to learn more about engineering in hopes that they will realize how interesting and rewarding this field of study can be. Figures show that the number of students pursuing an education in engineering has declined in recent years, and Northrop Grumman has made it a priority to help turn that trend around.

"The majority of students we visit at the schools are struggling to select a career path or even a field of interest," said Steve Smalley, an engineer at the company's Electronic Systems sector. "We spend a day at each school hoping to open up the students' thinking to include various engineering fields. The teachers also benefit from hearing about the specific skills that 'make up an engineer' and from having a memorable day that can be used throughout the year when discussing experimentation, application of science principles and in discussing career options with the students."

This year, the outreach program is turning to "in-reach" as well. During Northrop Grumman's Engineer's Week celebration, the company will bring four teachers from local schools to visit company facilities and witness firsthand the intricacies of an engineer's job. They will also be welcomed at a number of major E Week events, including demonstrations of company products as well as a "Physics Wars" competition that pits teams of engineers against each other in different scientific challenges. By exposing the teachers to the experience of a working engineering environment and the positive aspects of engineering as a career, the company hopes that the teachers will pass new insights on to their students and encourage promising students to consider engineering in their future.

Dr. John J. Chino, vice president and general manager of Enterprise Excellence at Northrop Grumman, which includes the engineering and manufacturing organization, is a big proponent of the Discover "E" Program. "The program is a great way to educate students and teachers alike about engineering. Many of them have a very different view of what constitutes this particular career path and it is personally satisfying to help them realize that engineering is much more exciting and interesting than they may have originally thought."

Northrop Grumman also contributes financially to each participating school's math and science departments, with an average of $500 – $1000 per school. Since it first began participating in the Discover "E" program almost 17 years ago, the company has made more than 1200 visits to schools and has donated over $2 million dollars in cash and in-kind contribution.