CCPE Report
The Truth About NEW 2000 Is In the Cards

To mark the first NEW of the millennium, the national organizing committee for the event have created Canada's first engineering trading cards. The cards, were to be unveiled March 2 in Ottawa at the national opening ceremonies for NEW 2000, display five different Canadian products designed and developed by Canadian engineers. Each card has an original - and very cool - photograph of the product on one side, with short and snappy information on the product and the engineers who made it on the reverse side. The cards are designed to appeal to young Canadians, and to get them thinking about everything engineering has to offer. They will be packed in sets of six cards, including an information card describing NEW and inviting readers to find out more about engineering by browsing the NEW website at www.new-sng.com.

What makes the cards unique is the diverse range of products and engineering skills they illustrate. One features a jet aircraft engine designed by engineers at Pratt and Whitney Canada. There is also a myoelectric hand built by engineers from the University of New Brunswick; an integrated circuit used in fibre optics created by Nortel Networks; a CD disk fabricated at Cinram's Toronto plant; and the latest generation of hockey helmet made by CCM.

The cards will be distributed across the country with the assistance of CCPE's member Associations/Order as well as the many volunteers who particiapte in National Engineering Week.

Expected to be a very hot item among with young Canadians, and would-be engineers in particular, the cards will be distributed across the country with the assistance of CCPE's member associations/ordre as well as the many volunteers who participate in NEW. Getting the cards to as many young students as possible, and through them to their parents, is key to achieving the goals for NEW: to encourage Canada's youth to pursue careers in engineering, remind the public of the positive impact that engineering has on their lives, and celebrate the achievements of our engineering profession.

A group of 130 talented young Canadians from the Encounters Canada program was scheduled be on hand at the national launch of NEW 2000 to help unveil the trading cards. The featured special guest is Mario Hamel of Canada's Northern Lights aerial demonstration team, who will talk to the group on why he studied engineering, and how his engineering degree has shaped his career.

If you want to distribute cards to young people in your community, or to learn more about how you can participate in NEW 2000 activities, contact your provincial or territorial association/ordre. A full description of the cards, as well as information on the events taking place during NEW 2000, is also available on the NEW website. It also features a contest with prizes for children from 8 to 14 years of age, games, hands-on learning opportunities, and other fun activities. I encourage you to take part in the week, have some fun with the next generation of engineers, and celebrate Canada's many engineering achievements. As Canadian engineers, we have much to be proud of and talk about. NEW 2000 is our opportunity to voice that pride, and to make Canadians of all ages aware of everything that engineering makes possible.

To help convey this message, the NEW Executive Committee and the partners in NEW - CCPE, the Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada; the Canadian Academy of Engineering; and the Engineering Institute of Canada - have created a radio public service announcement (PSA). Produced in both English and French, the PSA has been distributed to radio stations across Canada. It has been scheduled for broadcast in late February and early March. In addition, to thank the many companies which sponsored NEW 2000, and to further alert Canadians to the many activities taking place during the week, the Committee has also booked national advertisements in the Globe and Mail and La Presse.

NEW 2000 promises to be very memorable week. Join me in the celebration!