The Austin Barkitecture competition calls on local builders to design trendy doghouses, which are then bid on in an auction. Proceeds go to local charitable groups and community members for veterinary care, spay/neuter surgeries, and community outreach.

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Tags: animals, Architectural, Architecture, Building Design, Competition, Contest, Contests

In many poor, rural areas of the world, scourges like malaria, HIV/AIDS, and malnutrition are endemic. Blood tests for anemia are a quick way to diagnose them, but it can take days to get results back from hospitals many miles away. Last year, a multidisciplinary team of Rice University undergraduates devised a clever solution: It’s a centrifuge fashioned from a common salad spinner.

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Tags: Clean Water, Disease, Engineers Without Borders, Health, Healthcare, University outreach, Water management

Scholarships that target students interested in engineering provide an excellent way to help pay for the rising costs of higher education. Since engineering scholarships are plentiful and come from a variety of sources, such as corporations, non-profits, foundations, institutions, and governmental bodies, future engineers have a host of opportunities available to them.

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Tags: Corporations, Higher Education, NASA, Organizations, Scholarship, scholarships, Scholarships and Fellowships

From wild rice cultivation to shelter design to tool-making, Native American traditions are steeped in STEM. Native American engineers and scientists have built on that legacy to benefit modern society. Celebrate Native American Heritage Month by learning more about the country’s notable tribal STEM trailblazers and their contributions.

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Tags: American Indians, famous Native Americans, Native Alaskans, Native American, Native American engineers, Native American Heritage Month, Native Hawaiians, STEM subjects

Safer highways. Cool phone apps. Green buildings. Thrilling roller coasters. What do all these things have in common? All bear the stamp of engineering design – a process of brainstorming, building, testing, and refining to create a product, service, or system within time or resource limits.

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Tags: build, Design, Engineering Design, Engineering Design Process, Lesson Plan, Resources for Teachers

Despite the anxiety triggered by last spring’s nuclear disaster in Japan, nuclear power is still a key part of this country’s energy mix. Industry and universities are enlisting help from teachers in preparing the next generation of nuclear engineers and technicians.

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Tags: Electrical, Electrical Engineering, Energy, Nuclear Engineering, Nuclear Science, Programs for Teachers, Teacher Training, Teacher Workshops, Teachers, Workshops

Recent headlines about tainted cantaloupe are grim reminders that food is not always as safe as it looks or tastes. Despite a host of high-tech efforts, E. coli and other food-borne illnesses kill thousands of Americans each year. Now, researchers in the emerging field of food-safety engineering are developing ways to protect what we eat, from farm to table. Call it the Food Safety-Engineering Network.

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Tags: Agricultural Engineering, Food Industry, food processing, Food safety, food-safety engineering, research labs

Structural engineer Emma Cardini has inspected some pretty impressive facades, including the Chicago Tribune Tower’s ornate spires and the Bridge of the Americas in Panama. Still, nothing compares with the capital bird’s eye view she literally enjoys on her latest job: rappelling down the marble sides of the Washington Monument to assess the damage from late August’s 5.8-magnitude earthquake.

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Tags: Architecture, difficult access team, National Park Service, rappelling, rope, Structural Engineering, Washington Monument, WJE

The Naval Research Enterprise Intern Program (NREIP), provides an opportunity for university students to participate in research at a Department of Navy laboratory during the summer. This ten-week intern program is designed to provide opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to participate in research, under the guidance of an appropriate research mentor. The last day to submit an application will be January 6, 2012.

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Tags: American Society for Engineering Education, Higher Education, Internship, Internships, Laboratory Experience, Office of Naval Research (ONR), U.S. Navy