Vicksburg, Miss… The Vicksburg District of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers is promoting the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to students in local junior high and high schools during the annual Engineering Week (E-Week). This year, E-Week is being celebrated February 16-22, although activities at the District began about two weeks in advance. A math competition was held at the District with 6th, 7th, and 8th graders from Porters Chapel Academy, St. Francis and St. Aloysius Catholic schools, Vicksburg and Warren Central Junior High schools.
E- Week, the only event of its kind, is a time to celebrate how engineers make a difference in our world, increase public dialogue about the need for engineers, and bring engineering to life for kids, educators, and parents. More than a week-long event, E-Week at the District is a year-round commitment to making a difference.
Each year, the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) sponsors the SAME/ARMY Engineering and Construction Camp for qualified high school sophomores and juniors. Applications are being accepted now through April 4, 2014, from qualified students. The camp fee is $50, and will be held June 22-28, 2014, in Vicksburg.
The Society of Women Engineers sponsored a workshop titled New Engineering Discoveries: The Girl Scout Way! to a group of local Girl Scouts. The objective of the workshop was to develop an interest in young girls towards the STEM fields.
Other Vicksburg District employees will speak on various STEM topics at Vicksburg High School, Warren Central High School, St Aloysius and Porter Chapel. More specifically, students will be briefed on topics such as What is Engineering and How to Prepare to Become an Engineer.
The E-Week celebration is composed of a multi-disciplined group of engineering organizations that represent engineers from the Vicksburg area and across the state of Mississippi. It is an annual nationwide event that celebrates the positive contributions engineers make to our quality of life.
Forty students from across the nation will be competitively selected to attend the camp. The students will be housed at the 168th Engineer Command Building and will engage in hands-on engineering and construction activities under the mentorship and supervision of SAME professionals and others from the local engineering community. The program includes interaction with representatives of architecture/ engineering firms, construction companies, military leaders, and Corps of Engineers’ employees.
The Corps recognizes the critical role that Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education plays in enabling the U.S. to remain the economic and technological leaders of the global marketplace, and enabling the Department of Defense and Army in the security of our Nation. The Vicksburg District is committed to teaming with others to strengthen STEM-related programs that inspire current and future generations of young people to pursue careers in STEM fields.
For more information on the camp please contact Henry Dulaney at 601-631-7724, or Jennifer Chambers at 601-631-5562, or visit the web site at http://samevicksburg.org/engineering-camp/, or the facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/samearmycamp.
XXX
Release no. 14-017