The Future of Engineering: How Engineering Inspires the New Generation

For the past year, I have been fortunate enough to volunteer with the organization Building Blocks 2 Success to help kids of a variety of ages learn more about engineering by competing in the annual Lego® Robotics Competition. My role as a volunteer was to teach these kids about different energy-based engineering feats, as well as helping these kids construct and program their own Lego® robot. While volunteering and interacting with these kids, I was able to witness their curiosity, excitement, and passion grow to immeasurable amounts. Being able to witness this growth made me understand that engineering serves society in ways beyond problem solving; engineering is also sparks inspiration and hope for all generations.

 Building Blocks 2 Success is an organization that prides itself on introducing kids of all ages into the fantastic world of engineering. They achieve this feat by helping kids compete in the annual Lego® Robotics Competition. In this competition, kids are expected to build their own Lego® robot, using a combination of Lego® robot kits, and program their robot to move around in a competition arena. While the robot is inside the arena, it is expected to complete a certain number of tasks by either pushing or pulling certain objects or by navigating to certain areas of the competition area. Each task represents some form of energy-based engineering in Lego® form. The robot is meant to play a role in operating these engineering feats. These tasks act as a gateway to get kids interested in the different engineering principles and processes that went into making these energy-based engineering inventions. While volunteering for this organization, my fellow volunteers and I would spend our Saturday mornings meeting up with around twenty kids and helping these kids participate in the Lego® competition. In the first half of my volunteering, I would help teach the kids about the different existing energy types, the basics on how engineering marvels such as windmills and dams provide power, and I would generally try to get the kids excited about the unlimited applications of engineering. During the second half of my volunteering, I would supervise a group of kids as they built their own Lego® robot. This meant I would provide advice and feedback on their ideas about how the robot should look and function. To surmise, my role in this program was to teach the students about aspects of energy-based engineering and helping them build their own Lego® robot. Volunteering ended up being an extremely rewarding experience and I’ll never forget seeing these kids’ excitement and happiness as they delved into the world of engineering. Witnessing these kids become passionate about engineering made me realize the potential engineering has for inspiring future generations.

 Engineering has always been able to serve society by providing the tools for scientific advancement and societal progression. But, through volunteering, I learned how engineering also serves society by acting as a pillar of inspiration and hope. When teaching these kids, I remember seeing their pure enthusiasm when they learned how energy was stored in batteries or how moving water provides power. I remember seeing the awe in their eyes as their hard work paid off by resulting in a robot capable of autonomously moving by using color sensors. This experience opened my eyes to just how important engineering is, not just because engineering  improves society through technological advancements, but also through how it inspires others to seek new ways of pushing the scientific boundary of discovery. At the beginning of our volunteering session, these kids talked about how they wanted to become youtubers or live streamers when they grew up. But, near the end of the year, these same kids were instead talking about how as adults they wanted to build robots, spaceships, or invent new technologies. Because these kids were introduced to engineering, they were able to see the amazing limitless possibilities and as a result their dreams and aspirations changed. The efforts of Building Blocks 2 Success resulted in more kids becoming interested in perusing engineering as they grew up. Due to witnessing the feats of engineering, these kids become interested in becoming the next generation of engineers. This type of program is a prime example of how engineering creates this cycle where the inventions of one engineer inspire the next generation of engineers to explore the world and create their own inventions which will then in turn inspire the next generation of engineers. Experiences like this show that engineering is more than just math, science, and building solutions. Engineering is about people as well, it is about helping the future generations and inspiring them to become passionate hard workers who will strive towards the betterment of society.

Due to Building Blocks 2 Success, more and more kids are becoming interested in engineering. My time spent volunteering has reinforced this idea that engineering is more than just building solutions. But, instead, engineering is a gateway to bring hope and inspiration to those across the globe. I believe this experience to be a valuable reminder of how engineering is more than just logical problem solving, but rather engineering is about people. It must always be remembered that while engineering the tools for scientific discovery, the people we serve must remain at the forefront in our minds. This volunteering experience has proved to be vital in my development as an engineer and it will always act as a cornerstone reminder of why I chose to become an engineer: to help and inspire those around me.