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Buy the "Great Projects" videos and companion book at ShopPBS. |
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Does an Engineering Career Appeal to You? Amazingly, some of the engineers who designed America's great projects were largely self-taught. Most engineers, however, must commit to years of rigorous schooling before embarking on an engineering career. Below are some resources and organizations that can help aspiring engineers start down that path. Also, check the Bibliographies page for books about the projects covered in the 'Great Projects' programs. |
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ACE Mentor Program A non-profit group promoting student involvement in engineering, architecture, construction and related careers. A Frequently Asked Questions page explains how young people can get involved with ACE. American Society of Civil Engineers — Kids & Careers Provides guidance to young people contemplating a career in civil engineering, and summarizes some of the great civil engineering projects — past, present and future. In video clips, working engineers describe their jobs and interests. Building Big Educators' Guide Fun, simple, hands-on activities for 5th-8th graders that will get them thinking about the science of bridges, domes, skyscrapers, dams and tunnels. The Junior Engineering Technical Society (JETS) JETS sponsors competitions and programs for pre-college student to promote interest in engineering, mathematics, science and technology. Includes detailed summaries of various engineering disciplines.
The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) — 2001 Survey of Engineering & Engineering Technology Schools A detailed profile of 342 U.S. and Canadian schools offering undergraduate and graduate engineering programs. Bureau of Labor Statisics — 2000 Employment and Wage Estimates for Engineers For those curious how much engineers earn, this site provides hourly and annual wage estimates, based on data collected from industries in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. FASTWEB A searchable database helps students identify sources of financial aid. Free Application for Federal Student Aid An online resource to help students determine eligibility, check deadlines, and apply for federal loans. Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Science Sponsored by Case Western Reserve University, this site provides a resource for addressing and understanding ethical issues presented by the engineering field. PhDs.org A portal-style Web site indexing information about undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral education; careers, "required reading" and "the big picture." Customized school rankings are dynamically generated after users rank the importance of various factors such as median years to degree, faculty reputation and program size. U.S. News — Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs Each year U.S. News & World Report magazine publishes its rankings of colleges and universities. U.S. News — Best Graduate Programs in Engineering U.S. News & World Report rankings of the best graduate engineering programs. The site also includes a directory listing 185 schools that offer a doctoral program. U.S. News — Best Online Graduate Engineering Programs A chart lists schools, their locations, year launched, number of students, if on-campus visits are required, required modem speed, availability of technical support, class-size limits, per-credit fee, and the schools' Web sites. Voices of Innovation A daily, two-minute radio broadcast provides listeners insights into the daily lives of working engineers. World Lecture Hall Using the site's search function, visitors can access free online course materials from universities around the world. |
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Further reading about the 'Great Projects' |
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 MINI BIOS  Frank T. Crowe Frank Crowe, chief engineer for the Hoover Dam, studied engineering at the University of Maine. He was so inspired by a lecture about dam-building that he signed up as an engineer for the federal Reclamation Service. He fell in love with the West and spent most of his life on the sites of rising dams.  Thomas Edison One of the world's most prolific inventors, Edison received just three months of formal schooling as a boy. At 13, he took a job as a newsboy and spent much of his time reading scientific and technical books. "Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration," was a saying that Edison coined.  Fred Salvucci As a kid growing up in Boston, Fred Salvucci heard about construction all the time — his dad was a master bricklayer and a major masonry contractor. Salvucci did especially well in high school and was accepted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a preeminent engineering school. Boston's "Big Dig" would become his preoccupation.  |
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