One of the things I've learned being part of ISA is that there is always something going on.  So every so often, I'm going to publish the happenings of ISA. 

First up...

As part of National Engineers Week last week, Pat Gouhin, Executive Director and CEO of ISA, spoke at Riverside High School in Durham, NC to 140 students who are taking classes in Engineering. The Automation Federation has been working with Durham Public Schools to introduce an automation curriculum as part of their Engineering Programs.

Pat notes:

The classes were very diverse and I was totally impressed with the set up of the high school.   They have freshman and sophomores (in high school) taking preengineering classes and have labs including one with a wind tunnel!   They have experienced teachers coming out of industry and some had engineering degrees.

This was great because it allowed me to really talk about the practical side of being an engineer in industry. I shared some YouTube videos on automation and the students were making (positive) comments to each other on how cool it was. I challenged them and said that this was all stuff being done today and I couldn’t even imagine what kinds of projects they might be managing 20 years from now. It was a pretty cool and rewarding day as I felt like I was giving something back and making a difference in a kid’s life. The teachers pledged to get us back in there and keep the conversations going.

Great stuff Pat!

From the Sarnia, Ontario Canada Section

My friend Rob Dickson, President of the Sarnia Section, shared some details about a cool event they are doing this fall.

They are partnering with First Robotics Canada and supporting the Junior FIRST LEGO League Competition both with volunteer and monetary support.

This program works with children, ages 6-9 years, to build and program a robot, and then, execute pre-planned tasks determined by the FIRST LEGO organization.

The competition is held at a local school where the children from all over South Western Ontario gather to show-off their creations abilities.

For more information, contact the FIRST ROBOTICS CANADA or USFIRST.org to find out about how to volunteer, competitions, locations, kits, etc.

It's exciting to see how ISA as a society and the Automation Federation are reaching out to educate students about the power of engineering.

Anyone else have an interesting happening? Do share with me...