COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO — The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs will host an Engineering Challenge for middle school students from 1- 4 p.m., February 27, in the Engineering and Applied Science Building on campus.
More than 500 middle school students from across Southern Colorado are registered for the competition, including students from the following schools: Calhan, Carmel, Challenger, Creekside, Eagleview, Falcon, Fountain, Freed (Pueblo), Horizon, Lewis Palmer, Monument Academy, Mountain Ridge, North, Skyview, Woodland Park, and Vineland (Pueblo).
An awards ceremony will follow in the gymnasium.
The events, held in connection with National Engineers Week (Feb. 22-28, 2004), are designed to bolster student interest in math and science.
The 2004 Engineering Challenge will feature students competing in five different areas. The contests focus on math, computer science, structural design, physics and model rockets. Area schools may enter three-member teams in each of the five contests. Students who are not team members are encouraged to attend and cheer for their school. Medals will be presented to all first, second and third-place winners. Other prizes will be given away by random drawing.
The student contestants will apply problem-solving skills to the contests that are designed to foster teamwork as well as design, analytical, and creative skills. Events include building a device to retrieve an egg, designing a device to retain water when dropped, a timed math contest focusing on geometry and pattern recognition, a rocket-building contest, and a timed computer logic contest.
The event is sponsored by the College of Engineering and Applied Science, the CU-Colorado Springs National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the CU-Colorado Springs Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), the CU-Colorado Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and the Colorado Alliance for Minority Participation (CO-AMP). It is free and open to the public. For more information, please call Tina Moore, 262-3347.
CU-Colorado Springs, located on Austin Bluffs Parkway in northeast Colorado Springs, is the fastest growing university in Colorado and one of the fastest growing universities in the nation. The university offers 25 bachelor’s degrees, 17 master’s and two doctoral degrees. The campus enrolls more than 7,600 students annually.