Students who are pursuing an education that integrates engineering and architecture into one discipline may find several competitions sponsored by national organizations. By taking advantage of these events, students can benefit from working with fellow classmates and industry professionals as well as become qualified for scholarship programs.
NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, has announced it will begin accepting submissions for the X-Hab Academic Innovation Competition, which invites engineering and architecture students to create an inflatable habitat that will benefit future astronauts. Next summer, head-to-head demonstrations will decide three winners, which will each be awarded $48,000 each in financial assistance, according to the competition's website.
Participants who are in their last year of undergraduate studies or enrolled in a masters degree program are challenged to design, manufacture and build the loft, which will be used in NASA's prototype laboratory unit.
The winner of this competition will get the chance to contribute to in a presentation of his or her top-ranked design at next year's Desert Research and Technology Studies or a similar field test taking place during Summer 2011.
The employment of aerospace engineers is expected to increase by 10 percent over the next eight years, and the demand will create about 7,400 new jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
