Over the past 6 months, our volunteers have put in close to 4000 hours, working at 90 schools and affecting and inspiring some 40,000 students.

National Volunteer Week is a chance to recognize the contributions and hard work of volunteers that make programs like Engineer-in-Residence run.

A huge thank you to all our volunteers – keep up the fantastic work!

The event was in celebration of National Engineering Month, and was made possibly in part by the the Ottawa PEO Chapter. We had towers being built, cotton balls being catapulted, paper airplanes being thrown, electricity being demonstrated… not to mention an amazing working model of the Rideau Canal that captivated young and old alike. A perennial favourite – ‘drag mom across the floor!’ – helped kids understand the magic of pulleys.

We are very grateful to the PEO Ottawa Chapter for partnering with us to bring this event to life. A huge thank you as well to our amazing volunteers who made the day an overwhelming success – Harry Baker, Terri and Jim Cheeseman, Derek Ellis, Jesse Fleming, John Hazel, Vince Horne, Maxwell Hu, Li-Shien Lee, Bob and Catherine Thomas, Sohail Umar-Khitab, Joe Wallach, and Quinn.

A big thank you also goes to the museum for hosting this exciting day!!

The event will run from 10 AM – 5 PM on March 16th. Build a tower and test it against the power of an Earthquake! Learn the inner workings of the Rideau Canal! Discover your own strength as you pull Mom across the floor! We’ve got activities for large and small guaranteed to put a smile on the face of children of all ages as they learn about the fascinating world of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

A huge thank you to the Ottawa PEO Chapter for helping make this day a reality! We look forward to seeing you there.

I3 and EIR have a similar goal; to inspire students in the area of STEM. Therefore, we have partnered this year in order to maximize student benefit from both programs. As part of the I3 program, schools are encouraged to find expert guests/mentors for their participating students. The EIRs we match with I3 schools provide this guidance, while also addressing other school needs such as presenting hands-on, in-curricular activities and career talks.

It’s a great partnership – so far this year we have 6 EIRs in I3 schools. We look forward to continuing to work together to bring the love of STEM to students for years to come!

Come share your love of learning and problem solving!
Engage kids in the fun of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)!

Place: Canada Science & Technology Museum
Address: 1867 St Laurent Blvd, Ottawa
Date: Saturday March 16th, 2013
Time: TBD (aprox. 9am-5pm)

For the past two years, the Engineer-in-Residence (EIR) Program has hosted a day of hands-on activities and demonstrations at the Canada Science and Technology Museum as part of March Break and in celebration of National Engineering Month. We are returning again this year on Saturday March 16th and we need volunteers!

Several of our regular engineer volunteers will be leading the activities. You’ll be helping run the activities – engaging kids as they come by, helping them build things, or explaining the cool concepts behind the activity. So far this year we have a working model of the Rideau Canal, an Earthquake Generator (kids get to build houses and test them against the might of the Generator!), and the ever popular “pull mom across the floor in a chair” pulley demonstration.

If you had an idea for an activity you wanted to lead, that’s great too! The theme this year at the museum is “Machines” – but that can be taken interpreted pretty loosely.

We’ve had great feedback from the volunteers who have participated in this event before – it’s tons of fun, plus it’s a great way to meet and chat with other engineers in the Ottawa area. Even if you can only make it for part of the day, your help will still be very much appreciated! You’re also welcome to bring others to volunteer with you (for example, teenage children in need of volunteer hours…).

Please contact Rebecca Melville (EIR Program Manager) at rebecca@impacgt.com or 416.481.7070 ex 33 if you are interested or if you have any questions.

The new site is designed to be user-friendly. We wanted to make it easy for anyone looking to learn more about the EIR program – what it is, its history, how they can get involved, or how they can support the program. We also added a brand new section of resources for EIRs and educators that includes the Bank of Knowledge, the amazing Brainstorm Crew, a series of presentations EIRs and educators can use in the classroom, as well as most of the EIR activities from our Program Guide. We are still working on our website resource, which will include a searchable database of over 100 useful websites.

The site is here for its users – be they engineer, educator, partner or other interested party. If there is something you find confusing about the site, or something you’d like to see changed or added, please let us know at info@eir.ca. We are officially in our ‘testing phase’ – so we welcome any and all feedback before the site becomes permanent in the new year.

A big thank you to all those that took part in the website’s creation – including the amazing EIRs and teachers who offered a variety of suggestions over the years as to what they would like to see on the website, and the official website testers who helped point out ways the website could be improved. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Please enjoy your first visit … we hope you keep coming back for more!

Welcome to the Bank of Knowledge Forum

The Bank of Knowledge Forum is a place for EIRs and teachers to share ideas, ask questions and build community.

All members of the EIR community (educators, engineers, partners, etc.) are free to post questions, comments, and engage in discussion on our Bank of Knowledge Forum. Our Brainstorm Crew members will automatically receive a notice when something is posted and will help brainstorm ideas for activities, answer questions about engineering, or share any helpful resources they have.

Anyone can view past posts made on the forum, however you must sign up in order to reply to posts or create new topics in the forum.

It only takes two minutes to register, but your registration will have to be approved by the site administrators before you are able to access the Bank of Knowledge. Please allow 24 hours during business hours for approval. This approval process exists in order to ensure the productivity of the forum, and to minimize spam postings.

The EIR Program, an educational outreach program of Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO), sends engineers into classrooms to deliver innovative, hands-on programming to students from junior kindergarten all the way through to grade 12. The program is designed to engage students with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects while providing a critical real-life connection to classroom theory.

The collaboration highlights the importance of relationships between Colleges and programs such as EIR that reach children at an early age.

“I believe that early outreach and mentoring are crucial to inspire children of all ages to become interested in engineering and other STEM-related fields,” said Dr. Farzad Rayegani, P.Eng, FEC., Associate Dean of Mechanical Engineering and Technology at Sheridan College. “Books and lectures are useful on one level, but what truly sparks innovation and excitement in students is practical application of fundamental principles in the form of experimentation and hands-on experiences.”

Sheridan College has a history of supporting educational outreach programs, as well as a demonstrated commitment to applied learning and skills-based educational programming that integrates theory with application. This partnership with the EIR program also reflects Sheridan’s commitment to being engaged with its neighbouring communities.

“We are extremely excited to be working with Sheridan College,” said Jeffrey Crelinsten, Executive Director of the EIR program. “Their concern with the STEM literacy of our younger generation and their focus on hands-on applications of learning will be of great benefit to improving our program and enhancing our ability to reach more young people.”

In addition to partnering with the program, a number of Sheridan faculty members have volunteered to go into schools as EIRs. “We love being Engineers.” Dr. Rayegani commented. “We love to share our enthusiasm of our profession with everyone, especially children. We love to challenge kids to solve their problems, try to answer their questions, and most importantly, encourage them to explore math and science in school.”

With Stantec’s generous support, EIR can move forward with its goals of encouraging STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) literacy while providing real-world connections in the classroom for students across Ontario.

“Getting students interested in STEM when they’re young is essential to ensuring the next generation of scientists and engineers in Ontario and Canada,” says Kevin Fergin, Office Leader and Practice Leader of Urban Development at Stantec’s Kitchener office. “We are excited to be part of this process through the great work of the EIR program.”

“Bringing engineers into the classroom offers students an opportunity to connect to industry and understand the importance of engaging in STEM subjects for their future,” says Jeffrey Crelinsten, EIR Executive Director. “With Stantec’s support and participation of some of their engineers, we will continue to connect schools with volunteer professional engineers who can inspire students and ultimately help them make wise post-secondary and career choices”