UW Hosts JETS/TEAMS Competitors

February 9, 2011 — Each year, the UW College of Engineering and Applied Science hosts the Junior Engineering Technical Society (JETS)/Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science (TEAMS) competition. High school students across the state compete as teams in an open-book, two-part collaborative problem-solving test. Nationwide, more than 20,000 high school students participate each year. This year, the College is hosting 11 teams from around Wyoming for the annual competition which will be held Monday, February 28.

According to JETS, last year’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico spotlighted the need to develop economically and environmentally responsible forms of energy in the face of growing global demand. This year, American high school students will work to solve the “supply and demand” problem as the Junior Engineering Technical Society (JETS) launches its annual TEAMS competition. With the 2011 theme, “Smarter Energy, Cleaner Planet,” TEAMS will show students firsthand how engineers in various disciplines, including environmental engineers, civil engineers, and mechanical engineers tackle the energy crisis and the global need for diversification, efficiency, security and ecological sustainability.

In solving specific energy-related issues, TEAMS students will be challenged to:
- consider how we become less dependent on a few resources and diversify our energy supply to include not just crude oil and natural gas, but nuclear, wind, solar, biomass, hydroelectric and geothermal.
- identify technologies that make our homes, vehicles, buildings and industries more energy efficient.
- safeguard a country’s energy infrastructure from both an importing and exporting resources standpoint.
- brainstorm ideas to keep the environment clean and safe from emissions and pollution.

Like the other signature JETS programs, the purpose of TEAMS is to encourage more American students to pursue engineering by showing them just how engineering impacts everyday life and how engineers help solve social and community problems – from building roads and bridges, to developing water purification systems for developing countries, to inventing alternative sources of energy to fuel our cars and keep our homes warm and cool. JETS promotes interest in engineering, science, mathematics and technology, and is dedicated to providing real-world engineering and problem-solving experience to high school students. The programs challenge students to discover engineering in high school. JETS programs and resources get students involved with engineering and preparing for the future.

 

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