ESD Adjusts to the Times
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f there’s one thing engineers know how to do it’s make things work. So when the stay-at-home order was announced—with employee, membership, and family and friends’ safety in mind—we looked at ways to keep the ESD mission moving, and safe. Here are some updates: % We developed a new series of one-hour online educational sessions that were extremely popular, often selling out. These expert-led sessions were complimentary for ESD members. Thank you to all of our members who volunteered to present and share their expertise. % ESD’s high school and college scholarship program will continue. Scholarships will be awarded this summer to help foster the next generation of engineering talent. % The fourth year of our Girls in Engineering Academy gets underway this July with a new, dynamic online format. This program is important to our middle school students as we provide them with STEM enrichment education and inspire them to become engineers. % ESD’s Winter FE and PE Review Course program transitioned to an online platform so attendees
This year’s Future City Competition involves building a city on the moon. For the first time, the national competition will be virtual. We are still working out details for the Michigan competition.
10 | TechCentury | Summer 2020
ESD’s Girls in Engineering Academy will be virtual this year, with an active-learning curriculum that girls can do at home, taught by instructors via the Zoom platform.
could successfully complete the program during the stay-at-home order. ESD’s fall FE and PE Review Courses will be available online, which will enable us to extend our reach throughout the state. % We are currently registering teams for the 2021 Future City Competition. ESD has provided this program, which increases middle school students motivation and excitement about STEM, for 26 years. This year’s theme will involve building a city on the moon! % We will celebrate our 125th anniversary with events planned for late fall and early next year. Our Annual Dinner promises to be a one-of-a-kind event to mark the century and quarter since our founding in 1895, and we will have a very special 125th Anniversary Diamond Luncheon for 40-plus-year members. Details are still being developed as we monitor the situation surrounding the coronavirus. We will deliver invitations to members by mail when we have a date. % As of the time of publication, ESD’s offices are still closed for visitors, and we are not renting our facility. When we do open back up, we are planning to have new safety and cleaning procedures to keep our members healthy and safe. Look for details for all of these activities and events on our website and also in the fall edition of TechCentury.
