Spotlight On: Engineering (What kids don’t know!)

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Depicting Science, Engineering & Technology
What kids don’t know!

The Entertainment Industry’s Role:

A survey conducted by Intel revealed that the majority of kids were unaware of what engineers do, limiting them from choosing this field as a possible career path. With many kids and teens spending somuch time playing video games, on social media websites, and watching television, it is astounding to see many of them have no idea who is behind the scenes when it comes to these pastimes.The entertainment industry has the unique opportunity to reach kids and increase understanding by using the products that result from science, engineering, and technological advances as a means of communication. Televisions, smartphones, computers and the internet would not be here if it was not for S.E.T. professionals and if children and teenagers had a better understanding of the role these professionals play in the conveniences we all enjoy, the number of young people interested in taking on these fields could potentially increase.

Portions of this newsletter were adapted from EIC’s Think tank on Engineering: Blueprint for Action! Click here to read more!

Science, Engineering & Technology in Action!
Profile On: Burn Notice

Burn Notice Title Logo

Last year at EIC’s Inaugural S.E.T. Awards, Burn Notice was honored in the Drama Series category for an episode entitled “End Run.” In the episode, Jeffrey Donovan stars as Michael Westen, who uses household objects to create devices that help him catch the bad guy as a blacklisted spy. During one scene, he turns a potato chip can, copper wire, and pencils into a cantenna that can pick up a cell phone’s bluetooth signal from long distances. The device itself is impressive, but what really holds the audience’s attention is how the character manages to describe the techniques he uses to make this device work, taking the audience, step by step, through the process.

Depictions like the one in Burn Notice are not only entertaining, but also engaging and educational in terms of exploring how things work. They introduce kids and adults alike to how their everyday gadgets function by breaking them down into small parts and putting them back together in unusual ways. Technology, engineering, and science come to life when they are taken out of the classroom and placed into somewhat real-life situations that help our hero get the job done. It also does not hurt that the person that is so knowledgeable about technology just happens to be an on-the-run super spy!

EIC would like to congratulate Burn Notice on their S.E.T. Award! Remember to save the date for this year’s awards on November 15^th in Beverly Hills. Visit www.eiconline.org/readyontheset for more!

Learn more about fields in… Engineering:

MechanicalEngineer, Aerospace Engineer, Biomedical Engineer, Chemical Engineer, CivilEngineer, Marine and Ocean Engineer, Industrial Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer, Nuclear Engineer…Yep! They are all engineers and their areas of focus range from thedeepest ocean to the smallestparticle.

Learn more about these and the many other types of engineers at discoverengineering.org!

Suggestions for Character and Storyline Development

Consider these suggestions when including science, engineering or technology in your storyline and character development to encourage young people to get involved in these fields:

Get Specific! Engineer, scientist and technologist are broad terms used to describe diverse groups of professionals. When these professionals are included in your storyline remember to state what their focus is and how that helps them in the situation at hand.
Talk about it! A scientist in a lab coat or an engineer in a hard hat may not be enough to help kids understand what these professionals actually do, try to add dialogue, when appropriate, that promotes conversation about these fields and explores your character’s experiences and skills.
Explore it! Even though young people are incredibly tech savvy, they do not always know what makes their favorite gadgets work. In storylines where technology is key, try to explore how the technology works and who the people are that develop it and keep it running optimally.

Read More!
Portions of the Newsletter Adapted from

Picture This: Engineering

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The Second Annual S.E.T. Awards will be held on November 15th!