National Engineers Week
Students from two schools in Manatee County, Fla., celebrated National Engineers Week by learning first-hand how the subjects they were studying in school are applied in real-life. The students visited Lockheed Martin Aeronautics’ Pinellas Park, Fla., facility, which specializes in metal forming, fabrication and component assembly for several aircraft programs.
On Feb. 19, nearly two dozen students and teachers from Sara Scott Harllee Middle School, an engineering technology magnet school in Bradenton, Fla., visited the plant. The students are members of Harllee’s Technology Student Association. On Feb. 26, nearly two dozen fifth-graders and teachers from Florine J. Abel Elementary School in Sarasota participated in a similar visit.
Touring the facility with some of Lockheed Martin’s top engineers, the students got an in-depth look at the precision and skill that is required to work on aircraft. The Lockheed Martin engineers also talked to the students about the wide variety of career choices available in engineering.
To finish their day, the students were given a challenge that tested their ability to think like an engineer. Teams of students were given the task of protecting an egg, dropped off a 9-foot ladder. After being given a plastic bag of supplies and 30 minutes to complete the project, each group tested its invention. No eggs survived, but the engineering lessons learned that day will last a lifetime.