FEBRUARY 2005 ISSUE
national engineering & geoscience week
Fluor Employees Proud to Show Off Their Professions
Is there value in taking part in National Engineering & Geoscience Week?
Yes there is, say the folks at Fluor Canada.
Talk about professional pride. They seem to have it in spades at Fluor Canada
in Calgary. Fluor employees believe strongly in promoting their professions and
they do it in part by hosting events during National Engineering & Geoscience
Week.
Each year a Fluor employee is chosen to organize the events and ensure their
success. “We at Fluor look forward to engineering week every year — not
just as a celebration of the profession but also as an opportunity to give back
to the community,” says Bryan Lyster, E.I.T., the 2004 coordinator.
If you or your company wants to follow Fluor's example, National Engineering & Geoscience
Week is Feb. 25 to March 6, this year. A full story, calendar of events and web
addresses for more information appear on Page 4 of this month's PEGG.
Fluor hosts a kick-off breakfast on the Monday morning of the week, in the atrium
of its building at 55 Sunpark Plaza. Coffee and doughnuts are enjoyed by about
1,000 employees. A luncheon is also held during the week for engineers, during
which 150 Fluor engineers hear a presentation. Last year's presentation was Engendering
Success by Dr. Sonia Herasymowych.
To round out the week, the Fluor Discover-E program sends employees to several
Calgary schools to make presentations on a variety of engineering topics. In
2004, 28 Fluor volunteers in Calgary put on 14 presentations before about 420
students.
Children in Grades 3 and 4 learn about the robotic hand; Grades 4, 5 and 6 are
presented information on static electricity (with the help of APEGGA's Van de
Graaf machine); Grades 5 and 6 are introduced to the space shuttle; Grades 7
and 8 learn about bridge building; and Grade 12 advanced chemistry classes deal
with oil sands/bitumen upgrading.
“Through our Discover-E presentations, Fluor engineers volunteer their
time and effort to go out to local schools in the community and share their knowledge
of science and engineering. It's an effort to promote the professions in fun
and exciting new ways,” says Mr. Lyster. “Discover-E presentations
are done in both an informative and interactive manner, on a level tailored to
the particular audience, and feedback is always positive.”
During the American National Engineering Week last year (held the week prior
to Canada's version), Fluor Corporation held a Global Friendly Competition for
its employees located around the world, including those at Fluor Canada. Loosely
based on the popular Junkyard Wars television series, the contest asked participants
to build a structure with office supplies presented to them at the competition.
Each team was given 45 minutes to build a structure, and it was judged based
on construction and performance criteria. The theme for last year's event was
Catch Me if You Can and the top team in Calgary placed third overall. Central
Memorial High School and Foothills Composite High School also took part, with
each school sending two teams.
Fluor employees also take part in a number of APEGGA NEGW events. Several volunteers
participated in the 2004 Elementary Science Nights, bringing the always popular
Van de Graaf machine for some hair-raising fun.
Fluor provided a team for the inaugural NEGW kick-off in Calgary, held at City
Hall in 2004. The Fluor team won the straw tower competition — and the
right to host this year's kick-off festivities, to take place Friday, Feb. 25,
at the Fluor building in Calgary.
At press time, plans for Fluor's 2005 activities were still being finalized,
but one thing is certain — staff will be out there making the most of National
Engineering & Geoscience Week and celebrating the important work they do.
Author Credits
BY HEATHER FRANTZ
Public Relations Coordinator