The Air Force Institute of Technology’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management recently hosted their annual Engineer’s Week for 65 students from six local high schools in the Dayton, Ohio region.  Pictured is a student participating in a STEM activity.  AF contributed photo.

The Air Force Institute of Technology’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management recently hosted their annual Engineer’s Week for 65 students from six local high schools in the Dayton, Ohio region.

AFIT has participated in Engineer’s Week for more than a decade and seeks to inspire and educate high school students about the wide range of opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM fields with each event.

“By engaging students through hands-on demonstrations, real-world applications and direct interaction with AFIT faculty and graduate students, the event aimed to showcase how STEM plays a vital role in national defense and to encourage the next generation to pursue STEM careers,” said Capt. Megan Keene, event organizer and AFIT master’s student, department of systems engineering and management.

Students also participated in a question-and-answer session and had the opportunity to interact with a panel of current AFIT students and professors.

“It was incredibly rewarding to watch students connect with AFIT faculty and current graduate students.  You could really see their curiosity and confidence grow throughout the day,” said Keene.

Engineers Week, or EWeek, was founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers, NPSE in 1951 and exists to feature the importance and contributions of engineering and technology and encourage students to pursue education and careers in STEM.  EWeek is celebrated annually in the month of February to honor President George Washington’s birthday, a former surveyor, and one of the nation’s first engineers.

AFIT holds the annual event at a later date to align school calendars and maximize student participation. 

The Air Force Institute of Technology, AFIT is located at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.  AFIT’s mission is to educate defense professionals to innovatively accomplish the deterrence and warfighting missions of the USAF and USSF. 

AFIT’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management provides in-residence and distance learning graduate degrees and certificates in engineering, applied science, mathematics and management. GSEM provides its students with several significant advantages, including a more personalized educational experience; academic programs with a defense-related focus, and research on high-priority defense problems.