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The INDEPENDENT, February 4, 2010
This February launches 16th annual National Engineers Month
Engineers and technicians
from more than 30 Oregon and
SW Washington companies will
visit hundreds of K-12 class-
rooms this month. Their mis-
sion—to build awareness and
excitement for a world of ca-
reers available to students who
excel in math and science.
Recognizing the effectiveness
of the program in supporting
Oregon’s economic future,
Governor Kulongoski has offi-
cially proclaimed February
2010 to be National Engineers
Month (NEM).
NEM 2010 marks the 16th
year that the nonprofit Busi-
ness Education Compact
(BEC) has orchestrated the
statewide initiative. Engineer
volunteers have visited more
than 275,000 students since
the program began in 1995.
Through age-appropriate pre-
sentations and demonstrations,
these volunteers bring math
and science to life for students,
helping them to appreciate how
those studies can serve as a
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Future American competi-
tiveness is highly dependent on
producing a workforce with sig-
nificant math and science skills.
Already a deficit of engineers is
apparent. For the past two
years, Forbes magazine report-
ed engineering positions to be
the hardest jobs for employers
to fill. And the pipeline is shrink-
ing. The percentage of ACT-
tested students who said they
were interested in majoring in
engineering has dropped
steadily from 7.6 percent to 4.9
percent over the past decade.
“When students engage with
practicing engineers from vari-
ous disciplines, they gain a new
perspective on math and sci-
ence,” said Tamra Busch-
Johnsen, BEC’s executive di-
rector. “Through National Engi-
neers Month, we connect the
dots between what they are
studying in the classroom and
the many interesting and cre-
ative jobs that engineers and
technicians do in the real
world.” She added, “It is gratify-
ing to see so many companies
volunteer their resources to
help improve education, espe-
cially during these tough eco-
nomic times.”
This year’s partners are do-
ing an incredible job of reach-
ing out to local schools. For ex-
ample, the Oregon Department
of Transportation is sending
civil, electrical, geological, me-
chanical and transportation en-
gineers to schools in 18 coun-
ties across the state. IBM engi-
neers designed an origami
“leaping frog” activity that illus-
trates the makeup of a comput-
er processor. And Intel has
made National Engineers
Month one of their cornerstone
volunteer activities for 2010.
BEC’s NEM 2010 partners
are: Acumed; BASi; Biotronik,
Inc.; Bonneville Power Adminis-
tration; CH2M Hill; Columbia
Sportswear Company; Daimler
Trucks North America LLC;
Equa-Chlor, Inc.; Electro Scien-
tific Industries, Inc.; ESCO Cor-
poration; FLIR Systems, Inc.;
IBM; Intel Corporation; McK-
instry; National Energy Tech-
nology Laboratory; NIKE, Inc.;
Oregon Department of Trans-
portation; Oregon Forest Re-
sources Institute; Oregon Insti-
tute of Technology; Oregon Mu-
seum of Science & Industry;
PacifiCorp; Parsons Corpora-
tion; Portland General Electric;
Portland Water Bureau; Port-
land State University; Precision
Wire Components; RadiSys
Corporation; Schnitzer Steel In-
dustries, Inc.; The Standard;
TriQuint Semiconductor; Vern-
ier Software & Technology; and
Welch Allyn.
For 26 years, the nonprofit
BEC has been making learning
real by connecting the class-
room and workplace through
innovative, hands-on experi-
ences. In addition to stimulating
interest in science and math for
K-12 students through National
Engineers Month, the BEC pre-
pares high school and college
students for workplace success
through in-depth, paid intern-
ships. And to ensure that a high
school diploma is a meaningful
predictor of post-secondary ed-
ucation and work success, the
BEC is leading a statewide ini-
tiative to transform K-12 educa-
tion and dramatically improve
student achievement outcomes
through proficiency-based edu-
cation.
For more information about
National Engineers Month or to
participate in this and other up-
coming Business Education
Compact events, visit www.
becpdx.org.
“Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk”, Feb. 7
Winter is here… see us for
A NTI F REEZE
H EATING O IL
CALL
(503) 429-6606
WILCOX & FLEGEL
720 Rose Avenue • Vernonia
On February 2, in Eugene,
the Oregon Governor’s Adviso-
ry Committee on DUII, in part-
nership with the Oregon State
Police, Oregon Association of
Chiefs of Police, Oregon State
Sheriff’s Association, Depart-
ment of Public Safety Stan-
dards and Training, and the
Oregon Department of Trans-
portation, announced that po-
lice officers statewide will be in-
tensifying efforts Super Bowl
Sunday, February 7, as part of
the national “Fans Don’t Let
Fans Drive Drunk” campaign.
The announcement involved a
team of traffic safety partners at
an alcohol impairment aware-
ness demonstration at the Lane
Event Center in Eugene. The
goal: raise awareness about
the importance of driving sober
so we can save lives.
Super Bowl Sunday is one of
America’s biggest and most en-
tertaining national sporting
events as friends and families
gather to watch the big game.
Yet, it has also become one of
the nation’s most dangerous
days on the roadway due to im-
paired driving. According to
ODOT’s Fatality Analysis Re-
porting System (FARS), neither
of Oregon’s two traffic fatalities
during last year’s Super Bowl
weekend involved an impaired
driver. But, during 2008 a total
of 136 people lost their lives in
alcohol-impaired crashes.
“Make the right call before
this weekend's game by desig-
nating a sober driver,” said
Governor Ted Kulongoski.
“Play by the rules of the game
out on our roads. Help every-
one to safely travel wherever
they may be going by making
responsible decisions.”
Tossing your keys to a sober
driver should be a pass made
all year, not just Super Bowl
weekend. State, county and lo-
cal police agencies will put ex-
tra patrols on area roads to de-
fend against those dangerous
See Prevent on page 21
“Oil Rig Free” coast gets a look
From page 12
ing jobs does not make good
sense.”
The bill is sponsored by
Rep. Ben Cannon (D-Dist. 46);
it has 20 cosponsors in the
House, four in the Senate.
Thompson says state agen-
cies, sport and commercial
fishermen, and environmental
groups all support the ban; the
only question he has heard so
far is whether it should be per-
manent, or revisited after ten
years.