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As mentioned above in the Trig-Star section above, middle school history classes could be a prime group of students to target when it
comes to surveying awareness. Documentaries often feature surveyors. An interesting exercise would be to compile short clips from
various documentaries and send them to schools or show them as part of a speaker presentation.

One powerful message would be to send brand-new young surveyors into the high school classroom. Some of our profession’s younger
surveyors were in the shoes of high school students only a decade ago. Hearing how surveying has shaped their early career may be
even more powerful than hearing about the successes of a senior surveyor.
Career Fairs

School career counselors also need to be brought into the loop to understand what surveying
is and how to feature it to the students they serve.
There are opportunities to present to school counselors at conferences and seminars or send
written pamphlets and content for them to file in their offices.
We need to emphasize the role of surveying in buzzy fields like environmental waste and
climate science that are attractive to young students and the innovative technology students
would be using in the profession.

State & County Fairs
One conference participant started a casual conversation with a STEM teacher that
turned into a 2-hour conversation about opportunities to bring surveyors to STEM
Fairs. The very next week, he had four schools calling him asking him about coming to
judge.
Other conference attendees had just finished taking shifts at a surveying booth at the
Minnesota State Fair, one of the largest state fairs in the world.
Having your state association at these fairs is a great opportunity for exposure. The
attendees took turns taking 4-hour shifts and showing off a sandbox. It attracted
children and adults alike.
In Nevada, there are similar plans to bring a sandbox to the Nevada State Fair in June. And at a recent Nevada STEM event, a joint booth
shared with ACEC featured a surveying comic book, stickers, and posters to promote the profession.
Tap into non-traditional education

Traditional K-12 often gets the lion’s share of volunteering and attention, but a focus
on alternative high schools and homeschooling could also be extremely beneficial.
For example, UCLS recently paired up with an alternative high school to run a drone
program. The students are now graduating with the ability to fly drones with LIDAR
pucks in them. They’re doing it for fun, but they don’t even realize that the world of
surveying exists. If we are able to tap into and educate students in unique programs
like that, it’s an opportunity worth jumping on.
Charter and Waldorf schools are other alternative schools that often prize hands-
on learning. Often they have smaller, more focused classes with kids who are more
engaged than a cafeteria presentation at a public school filled with a hundred students.

Meanwhile, there is a national umbrella for homeschooling. Homeschooling presents an avenue that has never really been examined.
Parents may be interested in surveying curriculum from two perspectives; both the historical perspective and the modern technology
perspective.
Once conference attendee formerly volunteered with a parochial school and met with students for two hours per week for one
semester. The two hours would be spent teaching students about surveying skills such as drafting. Today, you could easily do the same
thing covering drones and more exciting modern topics.
Provide professional opportunities

Finally, suppose you run a company and are serious about filling your ranks with new surveyors. In that case, you should strongly
consider fleshing out programs like job shadowing, internships, and educational boot camps.

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