The Joy of Engineering

The best part about The Works is that we get to see the proud and happy faces of young engineers every day . . . the joy of engineering!

Engineering for Every Child

Here's another "President's Letter" I wrote for The Works' newsletter, this one in May 2010.  I truly believe that hands-on engineering can be a wonderful activity and inspiration for every child.

Engineering for Every Child

Why teach engineering to every child?  After all, not everyone is going to become an engineer, or a scientist, or work in manufacturing.  The answer is that hands-on engineering for children is a creative, purposeful, joyful activity that inspires many useful kinds of learning.

Engineering is about making things, and every child delights in building something real that works:  a car that rolls, a catapult that flings, a unique kaleidoscope, a solar oven that melts a marshmallow to make a sweet treat.  It’s hands-on learning at its best:  engaging, meaningful and memorable.

Engineering teaches a process of identifying and solving problems. Children discuss goals, gather information, brainstorm possibilities and come up with imaginative solutions.  “We live in a time where creativity, innovation and imagination drive the world,” says Autodesk guru Tom Wujec.  Engineering helps every child develop these abilities.

Engineering does require understanding how things work.  It motivates and re-enforces careful observation, analytical thinking and science and mathematics concepts.  In our increasing technological world, this practical knowledge is both enlightening and essential.

Engineering involves making things better.  Children can quite bluntly evaluate what works well and what doesn’t.  Engineering challenges them to think again and try again, a fundamental, unforgettable life skill.  At The Works, we often see kids deeply absorbed in this quest to make something better.  And there’s nothing as thrilling as their triumphant cry, “It works!”  

The skills learned through hands-on engineering lessons -- creativity, confidence, analysis, judgment,  persistence, teamwork -- will enrich every child's life and work.  With your generous support, we can bring hands-on engineering to children throughout Minnesota, and beyond.

-Rebecca Schatz  May 2010  reprinted from "In The Works"

   

Making a Difference

For the first post in this blog, here's a heartfelt squib on why engineering education matters, reprinted from The Works' newsletter (In The Works) Spring 2008 edition.  In the 3+ years since I first wrote this, The Works has doubled the number of people we serve each year to almost 50,000, and has just moved to a grand new building where we can welcome even more.  But the reason, the vision, the passion behind our work remains the same as described here:

The Works continues to grow by leaps and bounds.  In 2008, we'll bring hands-on engineering to over 24,000 kids;  that's 12% of all the elementary school children in the metro region, and triple our impact just two years ago.

But there's so much more to do.  This year, for instance, we quadrupled the money dedicated to subsidize group visits, to allow young people living in lower income neighborhoods the opportunity for a field trip to The Works museum and a hands-on workshop.  Even so, this fund has run out long before the school year ends.  We need your help to encourage each and every child to explore engineering.  Before you get out your checkbook though, I want to tell you why it matters.

Ray McDonald, a valued volunteer at The Works said it best.  Here's a fine engineer, a guy with a keen and active mind, a way with machines, 22 patents and a string of accomplishments spanning many technical fields.  But when I asked him what he was proudest of, he didn't mention bits or bytes or prototypes or inventions.  Instead, he spoke of meeting someone who was using a medical device that Ray helped create, and how grateful that person was.  He spoke of encouraging a reluctant child to dismantle a machine, and how proud and delighted that child became.  Ray paused, and his quiet voice got even quieter.  "I really felt I made a difference,"  he said.

That's it in a nutshell.  Engineers make a difference.  The stuff they create can save lives, or make lives easier, warmer, cooler, healthier, safer, more effective, more worldly, more interesting, more fun.

The Works exists to give every child a taste of engineering, a hands-on experience being an engineer for a while.  And when that child builds a project at The Works, she learns more than the science behind it, she learns that she, too, can make a motor, a polymer, a skyscrapter, a solar car.  That child learns that she too can make a difference.

Multiply that experience by 24,000 boys and girls and you know why The Works matters.  When I look at our growth, it gladdens my heart to think we're making a difference in the lives of all these kids.  But an even greater thrill is thinking about the future, about the difference that these young people will make in the world.

-Rebecca Schatz  spring 2008