NewsFlash!

Each month, NewsFlash highlights College of Engineering researchers (and sometimes students) who have been featured in magazines, newspapers, and other media.

For example, University of Washington professor Babak Parviz's work on developing a bionic contact lens was recently highlighted in a CNN.com article.

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Only 5% of teens think engineers are “nerdy”

The Lemelson-MIT Invention Index is an annual survey that measures American teens’ perceptions about invention and innovation. According to their recent press release, this year's survey revealed that:

• 85% of teens expressed interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, with “curiosity about the way things work” as the driving factor for their interest.
  

• 56% of those interested selected “protecting the environment” or “improving our society” as their inspiration.

• 55% of teens believe scientists, engineers and mathematicians are best described as “intelligent." Only 5% of teens selected “nerdy” as the best description.

• Nearly 2/3 of teens indicated that they may be discouraged from pursuing a career in science, technology, engineering or mathematics because they do not know anyone who works in these fields.

Check out the entire article here.