WHO: Approximately 30 high school students from the DC-Maryland-Virginia area. Of the 30 participants, 20 are Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) students.

WHAT: Students, with their parents looking on, will compete in the annual, tension-filled Spaghetti Bridge Contest, marking the culmination of a four-week summer engineering program. Using only dry spaghetti and epoxy, students have designed and built bridges. Kilo by kilo, students will add weight to the bridges until they shatter. Prizes will be awarded to teams whose bridges hold the most weight.

WHERE: Johns Hopkins University, Montgomery County Campus, 9601 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Md. The event will be in the Gilchrist Hall auditorium.

WHEN: 10:15 a.m. Friday, July 22, 2016.

WHY: The Johns Hopkins University’s Whiting School of Engineering created the summer program, Engineering Innovation, to expose high school students to the disciplines of engineering. During the session, they learn to think critically and problem-solve. Their confidence grows as they attend college-level lectures, solve problems, test theories and learn to think like engineers.

Engineering Innovation is a successful, proven program that encourages and prepares high school students to pursue STEM education, especially engineering. Since the program’s launch in 2006, more than 2,700 students have taken the course. Of Engineering Innovation alumni, 86 percent have gone on to major in engineering or science.

Members of the media who expect to cover this event should RSVP to Ellen Poltilove at ellenp@jhu.edu