Win $500 for writing about the role of engineering in providing safe and nutritious food!

 The National Academy of Engineering's Engineer Girl! website has recently announced their 12^th annual Essay Contest.

Shopping at your local Safeway or Giant is a different experience today than it was 50 years ago. Today, the food we eat comes from around the world and is often prepared in a variety of ways. Engineers are actively involved in every step of the process — they design the machines used to plant and harvest crops and they develop unique manufacturing processes to prepare, package and transport foods in safe and secure ways.

Please consider these popular foods:

Applesauce
Ice cream
Peanut butter
Potato chips
Sandwich bread
Spaghetti sauce

Grades 6-8 (No more than 750 words):

Choose one of the foods from the list and explain how it is produced, from the planting and harvesting of raw material to being ready to eat. Choose a technology critical to one or more steps in the process and explain how it works. Also, describe how different types of engineers (e.g. civil, mechanical, electrical, etc.) might have contributed to the design of the technology as well as key elements of that design.

Grades 9-12 (No more than 1,500 words):

Choose one of the foods from the list and explain how it is produced, from the planting and harvesting of raw material to being ready to eat. Choose a technology critical to one or more steps in that process and explain how it works. Describe how different types of engineers (e.g. civil, mechanical, electrical, etc.) might have contributed to the design of the technology as well as key elements of that design. Talk about what engineers are currently doing to improve this technology. Be sure to include your references.

 

How Do I Enter?

Write an essay which addresses the requirements in the contest description. Essays should be clearly written and while the essay may be shorter than the word limit, the essay should not exceed the word limit listed in the contest description. Submit your essay with the help of your parent/guardian using the Online Submission Form.

Entries must be received by  
6:00pm (EST) on March 1, 2012.

All winning entries will be published on the EngineerGirl! Website and:

First-place winners will be awarded $500

Second-place entries will be awarded $250

Third-place entries will be awarded $100

While honorable mention entries will not receive a cash award, their essays will be published on the EngineerGirl! website. 

If you have any questions, please contact the EngineerGirl! team at engineergirl@nae.edu.