Report from Hannover: Voice of youth at Hannover Fair

Getting youth excited about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is among goals of Hannover Fair 2009, in the TecToYou program, with guided tours and a robotics competition where teams of students build soccer-playing robots that will compete for a soccer championship this week.

By Control Engineering Staff April 21, 2009
Getting youth excited about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is one of the goals of Hannover Fair 2009, especially the TecToYou program. Source: Deutsche Messe

Hannover, Germany – The idea that children should be seen and not heard is ignored each year at Hannover Fair.

On location at Hannover Fair

Control Engineering editorial director David Greenfield, Consulting-Specifying Engineer editor Michael Ivanovich, and Plant Engineering editor Bob Vavra will be reporting from Hannover Messe this week on the new ideas and new technologies from the 2009 event.
See other coverage, below.

More than 300 busloads of high school and university students have been bused to the Fairgrounds to take part in a wide array of projects and events through the Hannover Fair TecToYou program. Getting youth excited about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is one of the goals of Hannover Fair 2009.
Among the events planned are a series of guided tours of the fairgrounds, and a robotics competition where teams of students are engaging in building soccer-playing robots that will compete for a soccer championship this week.

Hannover Fair 2009: More coverage

Other stories from Hannover Fair.
Monday
– Flying penguin, innovations, efficiency
– Phoenix Contact shows new networking, safety relay, junction box
– Report from Hannover: Daily Innovation Focus
Tuesday
– Wind in the sails for Hermes Award winner
– Looking for an attendance bump at Hannover Fair
– Voice of youth at Hannover Fair
Wednesday
– Buzzwords include ‘Pleasantly surprised’
– Product focus is on innovation, energy, says Siemens executive
– Daily Innovation Focus: sensors, Ethernet switches, safety, controllers
– World Energy Dialogue says lead environmentally to succeed
Thursday
– New SEW system designer packages, stainless steel gear motor
Friday
– New Beckhoff automation hardware, software
– Daily Innovation Focus: explosion-proof sensors, efficiency certification

Engineers wanted, in U.S., Germany
We’ll get more deeply into TecToYou as the Hannover Fair continues, but it’s worth noting that students receive more than lip service from professionals in the trade show booths.
It was estimated this week that Germany alone sees a shortage of 60,000 engineers in the next five years– figures comparable to estimates in the United States. The enthusiasm over bringing young people to the fair infuses a different energy when compared to the business suit attire of the adults, but it’s also pragmatic. Germany has the same workforce development issues as many other industrialized companies. TecToYou is its response, and it’s a program worth reviewing for American manufacturing trade show promoters.
– Bob Vavra, editor, Plant Engineering
Edited by Mark T. Hoske , editor in chief, Control Engineering News Desk, www.controleng.com
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