Engineer Your Life (The Blog)

Girl Scouts go glam

7/8/2010

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One of our favorite advocates of science, technology, engineering and math, The Girl Scouts, just got a makeover. The world's largest organization for girls, got a new "do" and a forward facing look at the 21st century, literally, check it out  at:

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1661850/a-fresh-identity-for-the-girl-scouts-of-america

As for the look in action, explore their STEM programs here:
http://www.girlscouts.org/program/program_opportunities/science/.

The logos, which have stood strong since the late seventies, were updated to more closely mirror the modern gal. It's an update and a look that all of us at Engineer Your Life are excited about. To us it feels strong, confident and ready to take on the world. It represents a well rounded girl that does a lot more than just selling cookies.

And that makes US happy campers ;)

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Hollywood-we like the sound of that.

6/9/2010

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Think engineers are all about pocket protectors, bland cubicles and nerdy personalities? Think again. Think Hollywood. Movies and tv shows. Massive glittery productions filled with superstars and shining lights. Did you know----crucial to the success of these movies and tv shows is a little thing called sound, or audio, engineering? 

Audio engineering has not always been recognized as an official division of engineering. But, with the explosion of technology and its place in Hollywood, this field is quickly becoming one of engineering’s hottest and most sought after jobs.

Take Hollywood darling Pixar, the studio behind Wall-E, Cars, The Incredibles, Up, the Toy Story franchise and more.  Their dazzling animation skills and ability to create riotously funny and endearing movies is reliant upon audio engineering. Buzz Lightyear could not take us to “Infinity and Beyond!” and Lightning McQueen couldn’t rev his engine and win the big race if it weren’t for sound.

An experiment--try watching one of these movies on mute. You’ll see they are hollow shells without the vocal and sound effects that carry them through. 
See Ms Future engineer?--Hollywood needs you.

Interested in seeing what types of jobs, internships and programs places like Pixar might have for you? There are many cool opportunities out there just waiting for you, so check it out. 

Oh, and by the way, you can win an Oscar for audio engineering. 

Think about it. Come visit us in our other home for more info. 


And start writing your acceptance speech ;)

 

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A Girl Built The Brooklyn Bridge? Yep.

5/19/2010

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Another EYL kind of gal that we thought you might be interested in learning about. 

Let us tell you a story.
 

Emily Warren Roebling. Lived in the mid 19th century. Rule breaker. Tireless champion for women and their education. Engineer. 
Didn’t listen much to the “nos” and the “women can’t do that” she often heard. An embodiment of the Engineer Your Life mission.


Emily had an older brother, Gouverneur, that she was very close with; he was a civil engineer. Little Emily looked up to Gouverner (who was 13 years older than she was) and paid attention to what he did and how he did it.

Eventually, Emily got married. Her husband, Washington, was the engineer who became primarily responsible for the construction of The Brooklyn Bridge. 
When Washington became sick and could not carry out his work on the bridge, Emily stepped in. History tells us she was the liaison between her husband and the job site. 
As time went on she became less of a liaison and more of a leader. For over a decade, Emily was in charge. Most agree she was effectively the head engineer on the project.

 
In 1882, just one year before the bridge was scheduled to be completed, officials tried to fire the team of Emily and her husband due to his illness. 
In another first for women, Emily traveled to Washington DC and stood before a group of influential politicians and engineers, stating her case as to why they should remain on the project. She won her argument.

In 1883, The Brooklyn Bridge, arguably one of the most famous public construction projects on the planet, was completed. 
At the bridge’s dedication, Abram Stevens Hewitt, fellow engineer (and Roebling competitor) said:
 

"The name Emily Warren Roebling will…be inseparably associated with all that is admirable in human nature and all that is wonderful in the constructive world of art"

The Brooklyn Bridge has been registered as a National Historic Landmark and remains a symbol of American optimism and the power of technology and engineering. 
And Emily Roebling has a permanent and prominent place in the history of the engineering field.
 

It's all largely thanks to the spirit and perseverance of a little girl who loved engineering. We are pretty sure when Emily was watching her brother and thinking about her future, 
she wasn’t thinking why she couldn’t do that but when. We know EYL girls think the same way. 

 
Contact RPI to learn more about their Emily Roebling scholarship. It’s a good one. 

Bye for now.
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Oh, a last fun fact from Wikipedia we couldn’t resist:

 
A year after it was opened, people questioned the bridge’s stability, and a potential backlash was brewing. PT Barnum, the consummate self-promoter, confirmed the bridge’s stability when his most famous elephant, 
Jumbo, led a parade of 21 elephants over the bridge.  Speaking of Jumbo, check out Tufts University’s engineering program…!

 

 

 
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