Students to tackle global water challenge in JETS TEAMS competition The Haiti earthquake has spotlighted one of the world’s most pressing problems – the global water shortage. This year, American high school students will get the opportunity to help solve the problem as the Junior Engineering Technical Society (JETS) launches its 31st annual TEAMS competition for 2010. UND Engineering is hosting the annual competition and giving 10 teams from area schools the opportunity to explore and experience engineering. Encouraging students to consider engineering as a major and career is important to UND and connecting local schools to TEAMS gives them a better understanding of how engineers impact and change our world. The competition is being held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17, in the UND Memorial Union Ballroom. An engineering design competition will follow the test at 1 p.m. Themed, “Water, Water Everywhere,” the competition will show students firsthand how engineers in various disciplines, including environmental engineers, civil engineers, and mechanical engineers are involved in the protection and delivery of the world’s water supply. This year, students will learn that, according to the World Health Organization, nearly one billion people to do not have access to clean, drinkable water, despite the fact that water covers 75 percent of the Earth’s surface. They will be challenged to: ● assess the effectiveness of ceramic pot filters developed by geological, environmental and ceramic engineers in disinfecting water; ● analyze and create processes, known as desalination, that remove salt and other impurities from otherwise undrinkable water sources; ● design technologies that deal with the detrimental effects that land development projects have on communities’ watersheds JETS is a national non-profit educational organization dedicated to promoting engineering and technology careers to our nation's young people. As a prominent force at the secondary school level, JETS engages students in various engineering education programs that are an essential part of fostering the engineering profession. Students in JETS programs are presented the opportunities to: understand how engineers make a difference in our world (Explore); see how their own talents and skills align to engineering majors and occupations (Assess); and participate in exciting real-world based competitions and activities (Experience). JETS programs touch more than 40,000 students and 10,000 educators from 6,000 high schools across the country every year. JETS participants are a diverse group – more than 50 percent are from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in engineering and technology fields, including one-third who are female. For more information, please visit www.jets.org . The schools participating are: - Stephen/Argyle High School, Stephen, Minn. - Thompson High School, Thompson, N.D. - Devils Lake High School, Devils Lake, N.D. - Roseau High School, Roseau, Minn. -- Cheryl Osowski, Outreach Coordinator, School of Engineering and Mines, cherylosowski@mail.und.edu, 777-3390