Engineering interest at a young age

It's never too early to plant a career seed in a child's mind, so Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. (Waltham, MA), a 420-person structural and building enclosure engineering firm, will spend a day later this month teaching sixth graders theories of math and science in an interactive experience they call Engineering Day. The students will come to SGH's headquarters to hear about beam theory and construction, physical testing in a lab, heat flow in buildings, pulleys and cables, the effects of fire, and material fractures. The kids will also form a human bridge to learn more about the science behind them.

Does your firm host similar interactive days for kids? What else do you do to get young people interested in becoming engineers, architects, and environmental consultants? Have you ever hired someone who you first met on one of these school field trips?