Celebrate Astronomy Day!

Celebrate the wonders of the cosmos with Astronomy Day, an annual event that encourages people of all ages to look up to the sky, and wonder about our universe. Astronomy Day is celebrated internationally twice a year, on the Saturday closest to the First Quarter Moon between the months of April and May, and again on the Saturday closest to the Quarter Moon between September and October.

Astronomy Day was founded in 1973 by Doug Berger, the president of the Astronomical Association of Northern California. The holiday was founded with the purpose of raising the interest of astronomy with the general public, by providing easy access to astronomical equipment like telescopes.

What is Astronomy?

Astronomy is the scientific study of everything beyond the Earth’s atmosphere, such as stars, planets, moons, comets, and other galaxies. Astronomers use a variety of tools, like telescopes, satellites, and computer simulations to explore the universe and look for answers to its many mysteries. These mysteries range from the origins of our galaxy, to the search for extraterrestrial life!

Astronomy is actually one of the oldest sciences, and has been studied for thousands of years! Ancient civilizations, such as the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, looked up to the night sky and studied the patterns in the stars. These patterns are called constellations, and many of them have been given names you’ve likely heard of!

These ancient civilizations also studied the movements of the stars and planets, and were able to create calendars that could predict celestial events. Even our modern day calendar is based on an ancient Roman lunar calendar!

How to Celebrate Astronomy Day

Celebrating Astronomy Day is a great way to engage with the wonders of the universe, and foster an appreciation for the science. Here are just a few ideas of how to celebrate Astronomy Day:

Host a Stargazing Event:

Grab a telescope or binoculars, and host a stargazing event for your friends and family! For the best view of the night sky, take a trip together to a location far away from city lights, and you will have a perfect view of the sky without light pollution!

Attend a Local Stargazing Event:

If you don’t own or have access to a telescope, many observatories, universities, and astronomy clubs around the globe set up telescopes in public areas and allow anyone to observe the skies during the day and night. After all, the mission of Astronomy Day is “bringing astronomy to the people.”

TryEngineering Lesson Plans:

To engage students in Astronomy Day, utilize some of TryEngineering’s free lesson plans! The lesson plan Infrared Investigations focuses on how engineers use infrared technology to create various equipment and systems, including telescopes that are able to penetrate dusty regions of space, and detect low temperature objects like planets orbiting distant stars!

Another fun lesson plan is Blast Off! This lesson focuses on aerospace engineering and how space flight is achieved from an engineering vantage point. Students will use what they have learned when they get to build and launch their own model rocket!

Thank You for Attending IEEE Education Week!

Thank you for participating in IEEE Education Week 2024! IEEE Education Week was celebrated from 14 April – 20 April, and was a weeklong celebration of the educational opportunities provided by IEEE and its many organizational units, societies and councils from around the world.

TryEngineering is dedicated to providing educational resources, inspiration, and guidance that empowers educators, STEM enthusiasts, and their students, fostering the next generation of technology innovators. TryEngineering was proud to host 2 webinars during IEEE Education Week 2024, that showcased our continued growth and development of these principles!

On 16 April, TryEngineering hosted the webinar “Inspire Tomorrow’s Innovators with TryEngineering Global Classroom Visits”, with more than 60 registrants! The Global Classroom Visits is an exciting program which brings together today’s engineers and technical professionals with students and classrooms around the globe! The program is a way for educators to virtually invite an engineer into their classrooms to give school-aged students a better understanding of what it means to be an engineer. If you missed the webinar, or would like to revisit and listen to an overview of the program, you can watch a recording of the webinar here.

TryEngineering was also excited to host the webinar “TryEngineering & Keysight: Inspiring the Engineers of Tomorrow” on 17 April, with more than 100 registrants! Keysight has a strong commitment to workforce development through pre-university STEM outreach, which makes them a perfect partner for TryEngineering. Together, TryEngineering and Keysight are working to build awareness of engineering through the promotion of selected lesson plans, as well as the development of needed lessons around electronics and the power of simulations. To view the lesson plans already developed and available, be sure to check out the Keysight partnership page. Learn more about these lessons and TryEngineering’s partnership with Keysight by watching a recording of this webinar here.

Even though the next Education Week doesn’t begin until 6 April 2025, there is no reason to not continue learning and expanding your knowledge now! Be sure to visit the TryEngineering Lesson Plans today, for easy to use lesson plans that teach engineering concepts in fun ways to students aged 4 to 18.

Collaborating for Change

The old adage “in unity there’s strength” couldn’t be truer when it comes to combating climate change. And TryEngineering – a proactive IEEE initiative that aims to foster the next generation of technology innovators by providing pre-university educators and students with resources, lesson plans, and activities that engage and inspire – has long been coalescing some of the best minds and resources in the field to rise to the challenge.

Since 2023, and building on IEEE’s broader Climate Change initiative (which highlights new technologies to better predict and respond to climate change, case studies featuring innovative solutions and approaches to climate change, and global events taking place in the field), TryEngineering created an engrossing collection of climate change-related lessons, activities, and events for students ages 4-18 which cover everything from pollution, recycling, solar and wind power, and irrigation to electric vehicles, energy storage, ocean engineering, and much more.

This year, TryEngineering has proudly taken its commitment to addressing climate change to the next level by partnering with the renowned Museum of Science in Boston to help amplify awareness of climate change issues and further engage students in being part of a larger global solution.

A Productive Partnership

Impacting some five million people annually at its physical location as well as through classrooms and online platforms worldwide on such topics as space, artificial intelligence (AI), animals, climate change, life science, and engineering, the Museum of Science is among the world’s largest and most influential science centers and strives to equip and inspire citizens to use science for the global good.

Towards that end, and as part of their productive partnership, TryEngineering recently worked with the celebrated institution to host a nearly four-minute educational video created by Moment Factory and the Museum of Science on the causes and effects of climate change.

Posted on TryEngineering’s Climate Change page and cast in age-appropriate language, the video helps students understand the definition of “climate change,” which currently represents one of the world’s most significant threats. “Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have been digging up fossil fuels and burning them, which releases CO2 into the atmosphere in unprecedented quantities,” explains the video, which goes on to note that in the past 60 years, atmospheric CO2 has increased at a rate 100 times faster than previous natural increases.

While the video shares the real-world impact of excessive emissions of pollutants like CO2, lead, and ash on our climate, it also confirms that “when we work together, we can change the global environment,” and encourages students to contribute to a global solution and be the change they want to see.

“We’re thrilled to see the traction that TryEngineering’s collection of Climate Change Resources have had among educators and students over the past year and we couldn’t be more excited to partner with The Museum of Science to bring even more awareness and exposure of this important issue to the K-12 setting,” shared Debra Gulick, Director of Student & Academic Education Programs within IEEE’s Educational Activities operating unit. “Working with prominent partners like The Museum of Science, we remain committed to energizing students around important issues like climate change and helping them understand how engineering can make a difference.”

For more information on TryEngineering’s collection of Climate Change Resources, which include a brand-new video on climate change by The Museum of Science, visit TryEngineering’s Climate Change page.

TryEngineering and the Signal Processing Society Continue Their Partnership!

TryEngineering and the Pre-University Coordination Committee are proud to continue our partnership with the IEEE Signal Processing Society!

Founded in 1948, the Signal Processing Society (SPS) was IEEE’s first society. After 75 years, they have built a membership base of over 20,000 signal processing engineers, students, and professionals. Their goal is to advance the development and spread of scientific information and resources, in order to educate the signal processing community.

TryEngineering and the Pre-University Coordination Committee are tasked with inspiring the engineers of tomorrow. This partnership with SPS has been essential to achieving our goal. While TryEngineering has a team of staff and volunteers who are engaged in developing engineering resources for adults who work with school-aged children, SPS has the subject matter expertise. By working in collaboration, we have been able to increase the global reach and awareness of SPS technologies. This in turn, will inspire many school-aged students to consider a career in engineering!

Together, TryEngineering and SPS have developed an SPS thematic page on the TryEngineering website. This page features specifically curated SPS content, such as lesson plans, articles, and games. The page also includes an SPS Overview Video, developed by the SPS Education Committee, which perfectly explains the world of signal processing so that even the youngest of students are able to understand.

The Signal Processing Society also provided $3,000 in funding, which was awarded to 2024 STEM grant programs with a signal processing engineering focus. The 3 programs that were awarded with this funding are:

IEEE Signal Processing K12 STEM Program – 4th edition on Wheels – IEEE SPS Bangalore Chapter – Region 10

Train the STEM Trainers in Secondary Schools- Multiplier Effect STEM Outreach – Nnamdi Azikiwe University – Region 8

Workshop on Computer Programming and IoT for Regular dan Vocational High Schools in Subdistrict Baleendah, Bandung, Indonesia – IEEE SPS Indonesia Chapter – Region 10

Together, SPS and TryEngineering are also developing a series of SPS STEM Stories, which spotlight the programs and volunteers who are making a difference in their communities. The first of these SPS Spotlights is featuring the Kenya Section of IEEE, and their program: IEEE Signal Processing Society K12 Initiative Using VR and IoT, which immersed participants aged 13-17 and highlighted the global relevance of STEM.

If you know a program or volunteer who is making an impact in the world of signal processing on behalf of IEEE, be sure to let us know by sending us an email at: tryengineering@ieee.org

STEM Program Spotlight: K12 Initiative in Kenya

TryEngineering is always looking to share great stories from our friends around IEEE who are pursuing efforts in STEM outreach and education. In this STEM Program Spotlight submitted by Stephen Okwiri from the Kenya Section and the IEEE Signal Processing Society, we highlight their program K12 Initiative Using VR and IoT.

In the pursuit of revolutionizing STEM education and empowering young minds, the K-12 initiative took center stage at St Catherine of Siena Kitisuru, Nairobi, Kenya in December 2023. This transformative program unfolded by immersing participants aged between 13-17 in a rich tapestry of activities aimed at fostering curiosity and empowerment.

This collaborative effort spearheaded by the IEEE Signal Processing Society Kenya and e-Mentoring Africa, emerged as a beacon of inspiration in STEM education. Beyond a conventional educational endeavor, this initiative set out to create an immersive experience, creating an environment where young minds could explore, learn, and envision possibilities within the vast realm of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The initiative sought to not only enrich the educational landscape of the participants but also to serve as a catalyst for the aspiring innovators and problem solvers of tomorrow.

The program effectively equipped students with design thinking skills, seamlessly transitioning from theoretical understanding to practical application through engaging challenges. Notably, the initiative cultivated robust problem-solving abilities among participants, enabling them to address community issues creatively and effectively. The emphasis on circuit analysis proficiency, spanning from basic concepts to advanced applications, ensured that students gained a comprehensive understanding of circuitry and its practical applications in solution-building. Introducing programming skills proved to be instrumental, empowering students with fundamental programming knowledge that they seamlessly integrated into their presented solutions. The initiative also played a vital role in nurturing students’ presentation prowess, surpassing initial reservations as they confidently pitched their projects with excellence. Moreover, the comprehensive training in communication proficiency, spanning public speaking, team discussions, and articulation of ideas, positioned the students with invaluable assets for their future academic pursuits. The impact of the K-12 Initiative resonates not only in the skills acquired but in the holistic development and empowerment of the participating students.

Participants expressed that the K12 Initiative provided a platform for profound self-awareness and described the overall experience as life-changing. Participants noted that the initiative enhanced their understanding of collaborative dynamics.

“Engineering bridges, both literal and metaphorical, within our minds,” remarked a participant, encapsulating the essence of the day’s activities.

There were a few challenges that had to be overcome to make this program a success, one of which was the change in VR perception. Many participants had viewed VR as a solely western concept, but the K12 Initiative successfully shifted this perspective, highlighting the global relevance and accessibility of VR. Another challenge was Internet of Things (IoT) enlightenment. Participants discovered new insights into sensors during the IoT session on traffic lights and police sirens. Despite initial perceptions of IoT complexity, the K12 Initiative simplified the concept effectively.

“We soar highest when we believe in our abilities,” expressed a mentor during the session.

The K12 Initiative was widely acknowledged as more educational, surpassing expectations in delivering valuable learning experiences. For many, it was a first-time experience with VR, indicating the novelty and potential impact of incorporating these technologies into educational programs.

To learn more about everything that this exciting program accomplished, be sure to check out the K12 Initiative video!

If you know a program or volunteer who is making an impact in the world of STEM on behalf of IEEE, be sure to let us know! Email us at tryengineering@ieee.org