SWE and PepsiCo Kick Off Student Challenge

SWE and PepsiCo Kick Off Student Challenge Image via: The Society of Women Engineers website From now until July 17, 2017, college undergraduate students are welcome to form teams to participate, with no greater than four members. The team(s) are encouraged to compete in the PepsiCo/SWE Student Engineering Challenge by proposing a solution or response to one of these real-life issues: Water: Consider how water is used at different points along the life cycle of PepsiCo products and propose how we can lessen our net environmental, water extraction or overall usage. Packaging: Present a sustainable packaging solution applicable to a food or beverage product. Equipment: Design what the next core category of PepsiCo beverage equipment will look like to accompany our current offering of coolers, fountains, and vending machines. Image via: The Society of Women Engineers website Out of all the submissions responding to these three prompts, three teams will be chosen as finalists and they will be invited to present their findings and solutions to a panel of judges, comprised of PepsiCo RD leaders. The winners of the contest will be officially announced at WE17 during Society of Women Engineers’ “Celebrate SWE!” event. This is one of the largest professional development and networking conferences for women pursuing careers in engineering and technology. Over 11,000 women engineers are expected to attend this event. Winners of this competition will also earn cash prizes, along with the chance to present their submissions in front of the panel of judges. Thanks to The Society of Women Engineers and PepsiCo, thousands of women will have the chance to make strides toward creating a better tomorrow today, while also making advances toward the careers of their dreams. To learn more about the PepsiCo/SWE Student Engineering Challenge, (rules, deadlines, criteria, etc.), find everything you need to know here.

Holiday traditions from around the world

Holiday traditions from around the world It’s an exciting time of the year in countries all over the world. Here are some unique seasonal traditions teachers in Japan, Scandinavia, and, Kazakhstan will get to enjoy over the holiday season. The Japanese New Year Kadomatsu Teaching in Japan allows the opportunity to witness the Japanese New Year celebrations. The Japanese are always enthusiastic to welcome a new year. Amidst the celebration and decor is an interesting and unique decoration called the kadomatsu. It appears from after Christmas Day through the first week of July. The kadomatsu is always presented in a pair at the entryway to a building or space; one is placed on either side of the entrance. They’re made from pine and bamboo and are placed to welcome the spirits of the harvest. The Scandinavian Yuletide Log You’re likely familiar with the presence of the yuletide log (in person, on TV, and as a nickname for a popular seasonal dessert) as well as the symbol of the fireplace during the holiday season. But what you might not know is that the this tradition originated from the Scandinavian countries of northern Europe. The tradition of ensuring a fire was lit began as a way to maintain light during the darkest days of the year - in one of the darkest places in the world. Originally, Scandinavians burned whole trees! Now, a holiday log in the fireplace is common in many countries around the world. The Kazakh Snow Father Like the Japanese, the people of Kazakhstan thoroughly enjoy celebrating the beginning of a new year. Celebrations begin near the beginning of December and build as the month approaches the 1st of January. Instead of celebrating Christmas, emphasis is all on New Year’s Eve and New Year's Day, but there are some familiarities to western society’s Christmas: there’s a New Year’s Tree as well as a Snow Father (who resembles Santa Claus) and a Snow Maiden who deliver New Year’s presents to children. Even better, Kazakhstan is almost always a snowy winter wonderland during the holiday season!