Engineers Day

National Engineers Week will be celebrated from February 18-24, 2024. This year's theme - Welcome to the Future! - is about celebrating today's achievements and paving the way for a brighter and more diverse future in engineering. The IEEE Central Indiana Section will be teaming up with The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, other local professional societies, Universities and Businesses to increase public awareness about Engineering and to help young students consider Engineering as a career option.

The event will be held at The Children's Museum on Saturday, February 24^th, 2024, from 10:00 - 3:00. The program consists of engineers being stationed throughout the museum with an activity that ties in with an engineering discipline. Please note that The Museum conducts limited criminal history background checks on all volunteers. You must register by February 9 to be able to volunteer.

Please click here to fill out a volunteer form to participate for the morning and/or afternoon shift. Please contact Bob Evanich (b.evanich@ieee.org, 317-614-5744) with any questions you may have.

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
Engineers Day
Saturday, February 24, 2024 | 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Thank you for participating in the Engineer's Day at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis!
You are helping to bring our museum visitors an extraordinary experience.

Activity Guidlines

Tabletop activities expose visitors to skills needed in Engineering careers through hands-on activities and scientific demonstrations. Successful activities have an inviting and exciting introduction, clear steps, and a conclusion that allows for further learning.
Families typically spend 2-5 minutes at an activity table. We recommend following our "30 second, 2 minute, and 10 minute" format. The activity content/objective should be able to be facilitated in 30 seconds, 2 minutes, and 10 minutes depending on the family engagement.
Activities should be able to be facilitated for a variety of ages ranging from 6-12 years old. Activities may need to be modified for older and younger visitors.
Activity tables will likely interact with between 300-500 visitors throughout the day. We recommend preparing for 600 visitors, adult and youth mix, to not run out of materials.

Example Activities from Previous Public Events

May the Force Be with You: Explore the power of magnetic forces large and small and create your own magnetic force.
Principles of Flight: Explore model wings and create your own paper helicopters to discover the science behind flight.
Be the Inventor: Construct a gamepad and control a game using Makey Makey software.
Exploring Elements: All matter is made of atoms, but what do they look like? Create your own atomic model of this scientific discovery.
Chemistry is Colorful: Create a colorful chromatogram using a few household items as you discover the blending properties of pigments.
Powerful Polymers: Discover the power of polymers found in baby diapers and observe chemical reactions that look like magic.
NISENET is a fantastic resource for short, hands-on activity ideas.

Volunteers

All organizations and first-shift volunteers must arrive between 9 – 9:30 a.m.
Second-shift volunteers must arrive between Noon – 12:30 p.m.
Please park in our free parking garage and enter the museum via the skywalk.
A minimum of 1 volunteer is required with a maximum of no more than 6 volunteers per organization.
Volunteers are responsible for covering their own breaks and lunches.
Volunteers are to wear appropriate clothing.
Volunteers are encourages to bring a reusable water bottle to the event.

Organization Tables

Unless otherwise requested, each organization will be provided 1 6ft table, 2 chairs, and a table cover.
All extra materials must be stored under the table.
Tables must be clean and ready for visitors at all time.
Use the provided clicker counter to record the number of visitors who come to the table.
No food is permitted at the tables. All food must be consumed in the Food Court.
Organizations are welcome to distribute any promotional materials at their table including flyers, brochures, branded giveaways, etc. Materials beyond this must be submitted and approved.
The following items/activities are prohibited at all times.

Distributing food of any kind
Latex
Helium
Fire/open flame
Face Paint
Stickers
Certain chemicals and substances including dry ice. If chemical substances are needed for your activity please discuss with us for approval.

Adult Volunteers

All individuals 18 years of age and older must complete an HR Disclaimer Form OR a limited criminal history check prior to their volunteer opportunity at the Museum.

HR Disclaimer Form: If your current employer has conducted a pre-employment criminal history screening, we will honor your company's successful results. Your employer must complete the disclaimer form before your event date. Deadline to submit information to volunteer: by February 9.
Background Check: The Children's Museum's provider for this is Sterling Volunteers. After you complete the registration process, you will receive an email from Sterling Volunteers requesting information necessary to complete the background check. Please check your email, SPAM folders and deleted files for this important request from Sterling Volunteers. It is important that we complete this action 72 hours before your event date. Deadline to submit information to volunteer: by February 9.

Youth Volunteers

All volunteers that are under the age of 18 and groups with youth volunteers must abide by the guidelines listed below.

Youth Volunteers must fill out a Youth Volunteer Release Form signed by their parent or guardian by February 9.
The youth to adult ratio in groups should not exceed 6:1.
Youth Volunteers are to stay with their group or chaperone at all times.

Please email Lindsey DeLorey ldelorey@childrensmuseum.org with any questions.