December 2004, Issue #35
EESC News
In The Fall 2004 school year, The Engineering Education Service Center (EESC) hosted a poster contest for students of any age to show their interpretation of engineering and the engineer's ability to do anything. "Engineers Can Do Anything" was the theme for the EESC's 2004 Poster contest. The rules required that this year's winner would display inspiration, excitement, wonder and curiosity. Posters were to be fun, motivational and inspire students to pursue a degree in engineering, technology and/or science.
A total of 67 students spent countless hours trying to design the perfect blend of inspiration and excitement. Two or three courses managed to integrate the contest into the curriculum by using it as a class project. Joel Braddock of East Tennessee State University said, "This was made for a class project, and it was a lot of fun to do." Iris Morales of University of Texas at El Paso said, "the idea of promoting science, engineering and technology, through an art contest was a great idea, because I think there is a bond between [art and] all majors." Schools represented in this contest included, East Tennessee State University, University of Texas at El Paso, University of Denver, Westwood College, Southwest Tennessee Community College, Bridgewater Raritan High School in New Jersey, Mercy High School in California, University of Evansville, University of Wisconsin (Madison), University of Idaho, University of Washington, University of California at San Diego, and Penn State University.
Judges Celeste Baine of the EESC and Leann Yoder of the Junior Engineering Technical Society (JETS) found that judging the contest proved to be more difficult than they originally expected. Leann Yoder of JETS exclaimed, "Wow! These look really great!" But hard to make a decision was an understatement. The judges knew that the purpose of the competition was to get students interested in engineering, science and technology careers. The posters had to be fun; inspiring and they had to be able to visualize them adoring every science classroom or engineering building in every school. Engineering is often viewed as too nerdy, too scientific or plain inaccessible to many students. The stereotypes needed to be broken. The judging took several days and countless conferences but the winners were finally decided.
First Place was a dynamic poster created by Max Germer, a graphic design major from Keene State College in Keene, New Hampshire. "We felt this poster portrayed engineering in a hip, progressive and achievable light. Although it was not very high tech, we enjoyed the use of color and vibrant energy," said Baine. Germer said, "I remember walking across campus one fall day at Keene State, feeling dejected about my choice of music education. A bright, exciting poster jumped off the bulletin board at me looking for new design students. By the end of the day I had switched majors and I never looked back. If it hadn't been for that one lone poster I would have never thought about design as a possible major."
"In designing the poster for your program, I hoped to convey the idea that "engineers can do anything", but more importantly, *I* can do anything. I tried to incorporate a variety of concepts that engineers might work on, while at the same time keeping the look of the poster simple, colorful and vibrant. With any luck, it will jump off the bulletin board and entice a student to pursue a career in engineering."
The second place winner, designed by Joel Braddock, a digital media student at East Tennessee University topped our "fun" category with its ability to portray engineers as superheroes. This is a theme we love and always enjoy since engineers serve to make our life safer, cheaper, more efficient and/or better everyday. From clean drinking water to reduced pollution, we are healthier due to the superhero types of efforts of engineers.
Braddock said, "When I saw the theme "engineers can do anything," I started thinking about what I would do if could do literally anything. I've always liked flying, so I started thinking about what an engineer would make to be able to fly. It also crossed my mind that superheroes fly on a regular basis, on their own, free from the confinement of something like a jet. The ideas of engineering, flight, and superheroes led me to the heroic jetpack idea, which was an immediately appealing and fun possibility. I made sure that more than one aspect of engineering was represented through the use of the blueprint city and circuitry in the background."
All of the winners can be viewed and purchased online at the EESC website (http://www.engineeringedu.com/postercontest). Be prepared to get inspired and be prepared to see engineering through the eyes of a student. All of the designs show tremendous energy and support for engineering education.
