FIU helps high school students become engineers

BY MAYDEL SANTANA-BRAVO

Florida International University's College of Engineering, along with the Junior Engineering Technical Society, will host the 11th National Engineering Design Challenge for High School Students in Miami.

The competition calls for students from local high schools to apply the abstract principles they learn in math and science classes to solve engineering problems.

The event is scheduled to start at 7:30 a.m. and run until 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 14 in University Park's Graham Center Ballrooms.

"This competition will allow future engineers to have hands-on experience with real engineering problems, teamwork, design, manufacturing and cost analysis," said Gustavo Roig, associate dean of the College of Engineering at FIU. Roig is organizing the competition

"It will provide these local high school students with a window into a profession which is still lagging behind in minority participation."

In order to increase social awareness and promote problem-solving skills, the NEDC chooses consumer related themes. This year's goal is to build a temporary shelter to be used after a natural disaster.

Students work with team members, teachers and coaches to create the final product. The winning team will have a chance to present its design to a distinguished panel of engineers on Feb. 22 and 23, in Washington, DC.

"This competition gives students the chance to experience what engineers go through in a day," Roig said. "It's one thing to learn these abstract concepts and another to actually apply them. This program gives them that opportunity."

The Junior Engineering Technical Society provides programs, events, activities and materials that involve students with engineering. Their main goal is to expose students to the "hands on" process of engineering at the high school level. They also work with the community to show how math and science are used to solve technological problems that influence our lives.