Every year the EngineerGirl Essay Contest asks boys and girls to write an essay about a different subject.

This year the theme is sports. Think about a sport and the different kinds of technologies that are used in playing, scoring, or training for that sport. From something as seemingly-simple as the fabric for a uniform to high-speed cameras and biosensors, technology is essential to the way we experience sports, and engineers make all those technologies possible!

In your own words describe ONE technology used in a sport that you enjoy, and tell how different types of engineers contributed to its design and manufacture.  Explain why the technology was developed (What problem were the engineers trying to solve?). Explain the constraints engineers faced in developing a solution and why specific design choices were made (i.e., Would adding functionality make it too big or too fragile or would a stronger design be too expensive?). Describe the design process that engineers will use to improve the technology in the future. Include details about how different engineering disciplines may be involved in that process.

The competition is run by the National Academy of Engineering.

Grades 3–5: about 400 to 500 words Grades 6–8: about 600 to 800 words Grades 9–12: about 1100 to 1500 words

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