Discover Engineering Family Day

Become an engineer for a day!

February 16, 2013   10:00 am - 4:30 pm

2011 Discover Engineering Family Day on Fox News Find more National Building Museum video.

Every February, the National Building Museum and the National Engineers Week Foundation invite you to debunk the myths of engineering and discover how professional engineers turn an idea into reality. Celebrate National Engineers Week by participating in this free, hands-on, and fun-filled festival.
Discover Engineering Family Day is a FREE, drop-in program. $5 donation suggested. Program and activities are most appropriate for children ages 5 to 13 with adult supervision. Registration is not required.
At Discover Engineering Family Day visitors can:

• FLY Become a rocket scientist and explore aerodynamics
• BUILD Learn to build a suspension bridge using only basic items
• EXPLORE Discover the concepts of mechanics and motion using a wind tube
• MAKE slime and learn the properties of a "semisolid"
• DESIGN and construct a structure to help protect from a tsunami
• INVENT a pop-fly lever and see how high it launches a ping pong ball 
• WATCH PBS Design Squad Nation hosts demonstrate a life sized dance pad! See how it gets assembled and learn the technology behind this sound and light show.

A boy explores robotics at the annual Discover Engineering Family Day.

Photo by F.T. Eyre

Scouts

Activities at the Festival may assist Scouts in fulfilling some requirements for the following Badges:

• Tiger Cub Scouts: Make a Model
• Wolf Cub Scouts: Family Fun, Spare-Time Fun, and Machine Power
• Bear Cub Scouts: Family Fun, Build-a-Model, and Aircraft
• WEBELOS: Craftsman, Engineer, and Scientist
• Boy Scouts: Engineering
• Brownie Girl Scouts: Building Art, Science in Action, Listening to the Past
• Junior Girl Scouts: Aerospace, Science Discovery, Discovering Technology, Sky Search, Careers

Scout groups are encouraged to RSVP for this event to receive a badge worksheet in advance.
Visit the Engineering Week website to learn more about the festival. 

Sponsors

Major funding for the Discover Engineering Family Day is provided by the National Engineers Week Foundation, IEEE-USA, Northrop Grumman Foundation, and ASME. Additional support is provided by the Semiconductor Industry Association, The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying, Bechtel, and the National Science Foundation; with local support provided by American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics-National Capital Section, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers Nation’s Capital Chapter, American Society for Engineering Exucation, LEGO Systems, Inc.,  and the National Nanotechnology Intiative.  Media Sponsor is FAMILY Magazine.