Students from 10 high schools in Memphis and Shelby County will build structures from cans of food and help feed hungry people as part of the “Canstruction” competition on March 23 at the U of M. The competitors will assemble their sculptures between 9 a.m. and noon in the Herff College of Engineering Administration Building lobby, located on the second floor. Judging will be held from noon to 1 p.m., followed by an awards ceremony. The structures will remain on display through March 28.
Participating high schools are Bartlett, Collierville, East, Harding Academy, Kingsbury, Ridgeway, St. Benedict at Auburndale, St. Agnes Academy, St. Mary’s and White Station.

The event is organized by the West Tennessee Branch American Society of Civil Engineers Younger Members Group. The high school teams, mentored by a professional civil engineer and a civil engineering student, design and build giant structures entirely from full cans of food. The outreach activity promotes awareness of career opportunities in civil engineering. After the event, the cans are donated to local food banks for distribution to pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, and elder and day care centers. The competition has contributed more than 60,000 pounds of food to the Mid-South Food Bank, the equivalent of 50,000 meals for people in need. For more information, call Dr. Stephanie Ivey at 678-3286.