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BUSINESS NEWS FUTURE ENGINEERS HOSTS NATIONAL “MARS MEDICAL” DESIGN CHALLENGE FOR YOUNG INNOVATORS ISSUED BY THE ASME FOUNDATION ANDNASA Future Engineers, an online education platform that issues national innovation challenges for K-12 students, announced the Mars Medical Challenge, the fifth in a series of space innovation challenges developed by Future Engineers with the American Society of Mechanical Engineering Foundation and with technical assistance provided by NASA. Students are asked to create a digital 3-D model of a medical or dental object that could be used by an astronaut to maintain physical health on a three-year mission to the red planet. The design should be intended to be 3-D printed for space medicine needs, which may include: diagnostic, preventative, first aid, emergency, surgical and/or dental purposes. Submissions from K-12 students in the US will be accepted beginning today through January 25, 2017 at futureengineers.org/marsmedical. “Research conducted by astronauts aboard the International Space Station educates our

education resources including links to free design software and a suite of brainstorming categories to get students started with creating their designs. Additionally, the site provides teacher-specific tools to assist with classroom registration and submission. In line with a “make it, don’t take it” approach, NASA is working toward developing a 3-D printing Fabrication Laboratory which can manufacture parts in space using multiple materials. In 2015, the NASA In-Space Manufacturing project made history by sending the first 3-D printer to the International Space Station and printing the first parts in space. Future Engineers challenges are designed to extend the reach of NASA’s ISM research by inspiring and educating the next generation of scientists and engineers about 3-D printing technology, space exploration and digital design skills. Previous Future Engineers challenges have called upon students to design 3-D models of space tools, containers, and objects needed for space exploration.

nation and world about the health challenges that astronauts face on prolonged missions,” said Deanne Bell, CEO and founder, Future Engineers. “As NASA continues to investigate how the human body adjusts to weightlessness, radiation and stress that occur on long duration spaceflight, Future Engineers is eager to engage students with a real-world space exploration challenge that focuses on health-related hardware and how a 3-D printer can assist astronauts facing a medical scenario during a Mars mission.” One winner of both the junior and teen age divisions will receive a trip to Houston, Texas and a tour of NASA Johnson Space Flight Center to learn about space medicine, human space exploration and Mars. MakerBot will also donate eight Replicator Mini+ 3-D printers to the schools, libraries, or education organizations of the top four finalists on behalf of their accomplishment. The Mars Medical challenge is free for student participation and the challenge site provides

a puzzle that will provide potable water to a community, a state-of-the-art school for underprivileged kids, or a clean site for vegetable growers. As JFK said, “One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.” Here, we are trying. 4)Being part of a group. Marketers have a unique bond exem- plified by the growth of associations that foster this sense of community amongst us weirdos. Attend a marketing confer- ence to see yourself reflected in never-ending mirrors. It is a revelation – you are not alone! Sharing frustrations and finding sympathetic ears is an aura-cleansing sensation, but it goes beyond that. We have and will continue to push our roles to have better places at the table and provide the best value to our firms by raising the bar for ourselves. 5)The rush of winning. If you have a healthy pursuit strategy, chances are you are competing for opportunities with great probabilities of being selected. If you win, you’re on top of the world; if you don’t, you still learn from the process. But let’s keep our eye on the ball. We are talking about winning here! Our “little community that could” is propelling businesses beyond their expectations. We are outside-the-box thinkers because we devote ourselves to understand the box in the first place. We are the curious bunch eager to learn something new every day and work alongside amazing individuals. Go for it my peeps of the Lambda Lambda Weirdos! JAVIER SUAREZ is the central marketing and sales support manager with Geosyntec Consultants. Contact him at jsuarez@geosyntec.com. “Our ‘little community that could’ is propelling businesses beyond their expectations. We are outside-the-box thinkers because we devote ourselves to understand the box in the first place.”

JAVIER SUAREZ, from page 11

a year and did like Forrest Gump. I ran back. Whatever your story, there are features that we can all take away from working in the industry – rubbing shoulders with architects, engineers, scientists, and contractors, and burning the professional services marketing midnight oil. 1)Working with smart individuals. A well-known quote says, “If you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room.” I relate to this passage every single day and find being in constant learning mode exhilarating. Not only is it imperative for us to have thorough knowledge of the market sectors our firms cater to, the services we offer, but we have to understand the solutions we propose to solve our clients’ problems. Learn from the people around you. “Think about all your friends in college studying marketing, business, journalism, even English. How many times did you hear them say, ‘I dream of working at “that” engineering firm?’ Let’s face the ugly truth: The majority of our clan members ended up here by accident.” 2)Teamwork. Maybe it is the ex-baseball player in me that feels at ease working in teams, but there’s no denying the magic in mixing the right combination of strengths from different in- dividuals. I usually feel like a coach trying to inspire our team and calling the right plays to score the winning run. It takes nine players, a deep bench, great coaches, and supportive management to go the distance – just ask the Cubs! 3)Making a difference. I highly value being part of an organi- zation that’s effecting change in the communities served and the world. It’s a great feeling knowing that you are a piece in

THE ZWEIG LETTER December 19, 2016, ISSUE 1180

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