The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology will celebrate the contributions engineers make to society during its 31st Engineers Week.

Activities begin Friday, Feb. 15, and continue through Saturday, Feb. 23. The School of Mines invites students and community members to participate in the week-long schedule of events.

Following are scheduled events:

Friday, Feb. 15

* Cardboard bridge contest - 2:15 p.m., Civil/Mechanical Building. Mines students, technicians and faculty will test the maximum load of cardboard bridges built by middle and high school students following specific instructions.

* High school computer programming contest - 9:30 a.m., McLaury 205. Sponsored by the School of Mines student chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery and co-advisors Ed Corwin and Roger Schrader.

Tuesday, Feb. 19

* Lunch forum - 11:30 a.m., "Issues Affecting Wind Power Development in South Dakota", Surbeck Center Ballroom. Mike Trykowski, chairman, South Dakota Energy Infrastructure Authority, will speak about the findings of the South Dakota Wind Power Report, which explores the issues affecting wind-power development in the state. For more information or to register, call 394-2256. Cost is $7.50.

* Rube Goldberg machine contest - 3 p.m., Surbeck Center Ballroom. The object is to build a machine that will assemble a hamburger consisting of no less than one precooked meat patty, two vegetables and two condiments, sandwiched between two bun halves. For more information or to register, call 394-2256.

Thursday, Feb. 21

* Recognition of outstanding recent graduates and initiation into the Order of the Engineer - 11 a.m., Surbeck Center Ballroom. Selected School of Mines alumni who graduated 10 years ago will be honored for their outstanding professional and civic achievements since their graduation. Initiates into the Order of the Engineer will be presented with rings and certificates of membership.

Friday, Feb. 22

* "Chemistry - What Floats Your Boat?" - 9 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., Surbeck Center Ballroom. Students, staff and faculty in the chemistry department have combined efforts to generate a show with glitz, pops, fire and amazing colors from chemistry phenomenon. Call 394-2256 to register.

* Engineering and science at work - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Various departments will have displays, experiments and interactive games to entertain and show how things work using everyday items such as dirt, water and steam. Call 394-2256 to register.

* Grubby contests - 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., Miner's Shack, Surbeck Center. Students will participate in games such as the egg drop, marble grope, bubble blowing, front-end loader, forces in equilibrium and silly-putty bounce. Call 394-2256 to register.

* Engineers Week banquet - 6:30 p.m., Minerva's, Rapid City. A social time and dinner will precede the Bill Craig Scholarship presentation, Engineer of the Year award and the Young Engineer of the Year award. David Emery, chief executive officer of Black Hills Corp., will be the keynote speaker. Call 342-4105 to register.

Saturday, Feb. 23 * Kids block contest - 10 a.m., Surbeck Center Ballroom. Children in first through sixth grades compete at engineering a specified building project, using their imaginations and interlocking building blocks.

* Mathcounts - 1 p.m., Classroom Building, room 204. A math contest for sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students. Call 342-9470 to register.

Visit sdmines.sdsmt.edu/eweek for more information.