Parents' Guide to Dream Big: Engineering Our World

Although it clocks in at just 42 minutes, this IMAX documentary does an epic job of inspiring young viewers to realize the importance of engineering to society -- and perhaps to even pursue it. Extra props to MacGillivray Freeman and the ASCE for finding three fascinating women engineers from diverse backgrounds to profile. Each is a wonderful role model. Pehlivan, who understands first-hand how devastating an earthquake can be, now specializes in buildings that can withstand them. Bang gave up a more lucrative private-sector career to dedicate herself to building footbridges in underdeveloped countries like Haiti. And Hernandez is a particularly relevant example of the difference a dedicated teacher can make in a low-income student's life. Their paths to engineering and their work are all different, but their stories are all equally compelling and empowering.

After Hernandez is introduced, the film starts to focus on the legendary Carl Hayden underwater robotics team, which at this point has been featured in both a documentary and a feature film because it's such a great David vs. Goliath story. There's also a fun snippet about a small Mississippi high school that sent a team to race in a solar car challenge in Australia. Even though the team's car was built for a fraction of the cost of the other entries, making it to the race at all still an incredible feat for the students. Those two stories alone will make kids want to run out and join their school's robotics or engineering clubs. For such a short documentary, Dream Big packs quite a punch and, particularly for girls, is an inspiring example of why we need to invest in STEM education.