New Future Engineers Challenge Asks Students to Design Space Containers

New Future Engineers Challenge Asks Students to Design Space Containers New Future Engineers Challenge Asks Students to Design Space Containers New Future Engineers Challenge Asks Students to Design Space Containers A screenshot of the updated Future Engineers website announcing the new 3D Space Container Challenge. In January, two K-12 students were selected as the winners of the inaugural Future Engineers 3D Printing in Space Challenge for designing 3D digital models of tools that astronauts could print and use on the International Space Station. This year, students aged five to 19 are being challenged to design 3D models of containers that could be used for various purposes in a zero gravity environment. The competition, which was developed jointly by NASA and the ASME Foundation and launched last fall, is intended to inspire elementary, middle and high school students to become young innovators and engineers by enabling them to create 3D models that, if selected, will actually be manufactured in space. This year's competition, which opened for student registration earlier this month, is focused on the design of containers that can be used use in space. Astronauts use a variety of containers to perform a number of activities, from collecting asteroid samples and sustaining plant life to storing food and disposing of trash. Students are free to design containers to be used on the Space Station - or that could be used by astronauts of the future as they explore Mars or other planets. Contestants will be divided into two groups: the Junior category, for students aged five to 12, and the Teen category, for students aged 13 to 19. Judging criteria for entries in both categories include the innovation and creativity of the solution; the container's ability to advance human space exploration; the student's ability to communicate the design through the text description and during the finalist interviews; and the quality of the 3D model and its compliance with the design guidelines. Prizes include 3D printing gift certificates for the semi-finalists in each category and one-week trips to Space Camp for the finalists in each category. The grand prize winner in the Teen division will receive a tour of the Space Shuttle Endeavor in Los Angeles with an astronaut, while the Junior grand prize winner will receive a 3D printer for his or her school. Entries will be accepted through Aug. 2. Ten semi-finalists in each of the Junior and Teen divisions will be announced Sept. 2. Four finalists in each category will be named on Sept. 16 and interviewed on Sept. 30. The two Future Engineers Challenge winners will be announced on Oct. 7. For more information on the Future Engineers program, visit www.futureengineers.org. ASME members and student members who would like to work with the program as volunteers or as 3D technical or design mentors - or would be able to host a 3D Printing Showcase or Workshop location - can sign up via the website's Get Involved section, at www.futureengineers.org/Home/GetInvolved#getInvolved.