January 2005, Issue #36
News You Can Use
The Fourth Annual West Point Bridge Contest is Underway!
The United States Military Academy is pleased to offer the fourth annual West Point Bridge Design Contest. The purpose of this Internet-based competition is to provide middle school and high school students with a realistic, engaging introduction to engineering. Anyone may enter the contest, but only U.S. students age 13 through grade 12 are eligible to compete for prizes. Students may compete individually or in teams of two. Prizes include cash scholarships and notebook computers. Participation is FREE! The Qualifying Round of the contest runs from January 6 to February 28, 2005. The contest website is http://bridgecontest.usma.edu.
NASA SHARP — A Summer Program for High School Students
Each year, approximately 400 students will be selected to participate in NASA SHARP for a minimum of eight weeks during the summer. Students will work with mentors on NASA-related content at NASA Field Installations and universities. NASA's ultimate goal is to contribute to strengthening the Agency's and the nation's ability to recruit and sustain a more diverse workforce by preparing students for careers in STEM fields through successful programs like NASA SHARP. For more information visit http://www.nasasharp.com. Application deadline is February 14, 2005.
IEEE Virtual Museum
For hundreds of years, engineers have been developing new technologies that revolutionize the way we work, play, learn, and communicate. At the IEEE Virtual Museum you can explore the history of these technologies, find out how they work, and learn about some of the people who invented them. Great tools for the classroom! Check it out at http://www.ieee.org/museum.
What are YOU Doing for EWeek 2005?
February 20-26, 2005, will mark the 54th annual celebration of National Engineers Week. Visit the official EWeek site to learn how you can incorporate activities into your classroom to help open the world of engineering to your students during Eweek 2005! http://www.eweek.org/site/Teachers/index.shtml
Eweek "Introduce a Girl to Engineering: Goes to the Movies
Showing in January and February at a theater near you: movie teasers featuring a "Girl Day" visual touting Engineers Week's "Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day," slated for 24 February during EWeek. Enjoy the show! For more information, go to: http://www.eweek.org/site/News/Eweek/girlsday_mov.shtml.
Engineers Without Borders-USA: Building a Better World, One Community at a Time
Can you imagine living in a place where boys and girls can't go to school or do the things all kids like to do because their main responsibility is to carry water from a river to their village each day? That river, situated 90 feet below the village of San Pablo, Belize, in Central America, is the only source of water for drinking, agriculture and sanitation for the 250 or so Mayan villagers who depend upon work at a nearby banana plantation for their livelihood. And so, in 2000, when this situation was brought to the attention of Dr. Bernard Amadei, Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder, he saw an opportunity for civil engineering students and professionals to make some life-changing contributions to the welfare of the people of San Pablo. The success of that project and others like it around the world paved the way for the creation of Engineers Without Borders-USA (EWB-USA), an organization that envisions a world where all people have access to adequate sanitation, safe drinking water, and the resources to meet their other engineering and economic needs. To read the complete article, click here.
