The Massachusetts Society of Professional Engineers (MSPE) is appealing to the broader engineering community in Massachusetts for help in mentoring students in two junior engineer contests they help sponsor: MathCounts and Future Cities.

Engineers with a background in civil, electrical, mechanical, or structural have been invited to participate through their societies. Since these programs have been so successful, additional help is being requested from interested members of the public. Any type of engineer is well suited to mentor, as are architects, city planners, or individuals talented in mathematics.

The Future City contest is primarily for 7th and 8th graders, with younger students allowed to help out. Students need to develop a thriving city using SimCity 3000, write an essay, and build a scale model of the city to present to a panel of judges. The actual competition will be the morning of January 21, 2006 at the Curry Student Center at Northeastern University.

The MathCounts competition for middle school students starts with regional competitions around Massachusetts and culminates in the state championship at Wentworth Institute of Technology on March 4, 2006. Wentworth Institute of Technology is sponsoring four 4-year paid tuitions as prizes to the top finishers. A national competition where Massachusetts is represented by the 1st thru 4th place f inishers is held in early summer each year.

Contact Prof. Tim Johnson at 617-989-4124 or johnsont@wit.edu for more information about assisting in these efforts involving students in your own town.

Source: Massachusetts Society of Professional Engineers, Oct. 31, 2005