On Friday, May 18, nearly 150 high school freshmen, sophomores and juniors can become engineers for a day at the 6th Annual Engineering Career Day. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the University of Rhode Island's Kingston campus, students will be introduced to career opportunities from experts in the field of civil engineering through hands-on and classroom activities. This National Transportation Week event, hosted by the University of Rhode Island Transportation Center (URITC), will also feature a bridge building contest where participants will be judged on the strength and durability of bridges that they build prior to the event, and then bring with them to be tested at the event.
"Civil engineering is an exciting and interesting field of study that offers students an opportunity to learn about constantly changing technologies in bridge building, traffic safety and environmental resources, to name only a few," said Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) Director Michael P. Lewis, one of the program sponsors. "As a civil engineer myself, I can say that one of the most rewarding parts of the job is the satisfaction of being a part of the creation of the infrastructure that has been critical to all societies throughout civilization."
In addition to the bridge building competition, students will participate in a series of learning labs led by experts in areas such as Bridge/Geotechnical; Traffic Engineering and Highway Design; Field Survey/GIS/Asset Management; and Water Resources/Environmental/Hazardous Materials/Drainage.
Along with RIDOT, sponsors of Engineering Career Day are the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Rhode Island Consulting Engineers (RICE), the University of Rhode Island College of Engineering, and the URITC. Sponsors for the Bridge Building Competition include RIDOT, URITC and RICE.
A list of participating schools is below:
Participating Schools: 6th Annual Engineering Career Day Friday, May 18, 2012 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Civil Engineering Department University of Rhode Island Kirk and Wales Hall Upper College Road Kingston, Rhode Island
East Providence Career & Technical Center
Johnston High School*
Juanita Sanchez Complex, Providence
Mount Pleasant High School, Providence
North Smithfield High School*
Rogers High School & Newport Area Career & Technical Center
Shea High School, Pawtucket
Times 2 Academy, Providence
William E. Tolman High School, Pawtucket*
* Denotes participation in the Bridge Building Competition