Exploring Engineering Day!
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s School of Engineering invites parents and their children in grades 3 to 6 to attend Exploring Engineering Day (EED), a FREE half- day program to introduce families to the field of engineering and the exciting work that engineers do to make our lives easier, safer, healthier, and fun! While children attend hands-on activities, parents attend a parallel program that includes hands-on activities, tips for sustaining their child’s interest in math and science, and information about how their children can adequately prepare to pursue a college degree in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields.
Exploring Engineering Day will take place at R.P.I. in Troy, NY on Saturday, February 18, 2012. In the case of inclement weather, the program may be postponed to the following Saturday, February 25. Families who want to participate in EED should plan to save both Saturday dates in their calendars.
Attached is a registration form and general information about the program. Parents must provide all of the information requested and sign the bottom of the registration form before returning it. Parents with more than two children in grades 3 to 6 may make a copy of the registration form and return all completed pages together. Completed forms may be scanned, saved as .pdf documents, and returned by email, or they may be returned by fax or postal mail. All forms must be received by December 9, 2011. A confirmation email will be sent to the parent/guardian by postal mail within 14 days of receipt of the signed registration form. Detailed driving directions, parking, information, and other details will be mailed to registered guests three weeks before the event date.
The program is divided into two sessions, a morning session (primarily for boys) that runs from 8:30 to 11:55 a.m. and an afternoon session (primarily for girls) that runs from 12:30 to 3:55 p.m. Parents who want sons and daughters to attend the program together may register all of their children for the morning or the afternoon session. Both sessions will have a minimum of one co-ed group to allow sisters and brothers to participate in program activities together.
Children from different families may attend the program together and request assignment to the same group. Each parent must complete a registration form for their child and reference the friend’s name on their child’s registration form. We’ll assign friends to the same session group. Each session group is limited to 25 children. Two RPI college students will escort and chaperone each group and an additional 5 college students will lead and engage the children in four hands-on activities.
While we encourage parents to accompany their children to this program, we also understand that some parents work on week-ends and may not be available to accompany their child/children. Parents/Guardians must register their own children and sign the registration form providing their permission for their children to attend the program. However, a designated adult chaperone (18 years or older) may accompany the children to the program in place of the parent.
If you have questions, please write to me at ruelb@rpi.edu or call me at 518-276-2618, Monday through Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. If I’m away from my desk, please leave me a voice message with a short message, including the best time to reach you by phone, your phone number, or your email address.
Looking forward to having you join us for Exploring Engineering Day 2012!
Warm regards,
Barbara A. Ruel
Program Director, Exploring Engineering Day
Director, Diversity and Women in Engineering Programs
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
School of Engineering Dean’s Office, room 3004
110 8th Street
Troy, NY 12180-3590
518-276-2618
ruelb@rpi.edu