Engineering Wonders Make Great Vacation Spots (NAPS)—A new Website asks the public to help find the nation’s most fascinating engi- neering sites with an aim to introduce a whole new concept in “tourist destination” while showing how engineering has a large impacton everydaylife. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of National Engineers Week, the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) has launched “A Sightseer’s Guide to Engineering,” a new Website that encourages vacation visits and online journeys to famous and not-so-famous examples of engi- neering excellence in each of the 50 states. People who visit the site can nominate personal engineer- ing favorites for possible inclusion at www.engineeringsights.org. Suggestions so far include the Sky Coaster in Kissimmee, Florida, a thrill ride that gets engineers all a-twitter over the three gargantuan concrete-embedded pylons, each 300 feet tall, that spin riders around in harnesses suspended by lengthy steel cables. While in Florida, a family might Thrill rides, museums and other fascinating destinations are among the sights on a new tourism Web site of great engineering feats at www.engineering sights.org. impact on American history may also stop by the Lynx-Lymmoin downtown Orlando. Thefree circu- be seen at the workshop of Eli and performing arts center with where Whitney developed the con- lator bus connects the city’s arena city and county offices and down- town stores. It uses existing traffic right-of-ways, yet has separate lanes that don’t interfere with reg- ular traffic. Unique traffic signals control buses at intersections without distracting motorists and lights embedded in the pavement tell passengers when the bus is coming, along with a recorded announcement. Many of the engineering achievements on the site are historical, such as the Erie Canal that once joined Lake Erie with the Atlantic Ocean. Completed in 1825, the project is credited with ensuring the modern preeminence of New York City as one of the world’s most importantports. An even more significant Whitney in Hamden, Connecticut. Nowthe Eli Whitney Museum,it’s cept of interchangeable pieces for machinery and where, in 1793, he invented the cotton gin. This machine made de-seeding cotton balls so easy it caused a vast expansion of cotton growing in the South and increased dependence on the use of slaves, an economic move that added impetus to the coming Civil War. To see what other engineering marvels may be found, and to offer your own ideas log on to www.engineeringsights.org. For more information on National Engineers Week, which each year highlights the role of engineering in society to increase public awareness and appreciation of technology and the engineering profession, visit www.eweek.org.
