On Feb. 7 two annual events provide a wonderland and haven for young geeks when the free Popsicle Bridge Building Contest and the Engineer Fair return to the Museum.
 
Popsicle Bridge Contest
Passions run high on Saturday morning, Feb. 7, as teams of high school students from around Puget Sound compete to have their dreams shattered in front of a large audience of parents and peers. It is all engineered for good fun at the annual Popsicle Bridge Building Contest, sponsored by the Younger Member Forum of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Competitors must design and build small bridges that are strong and aesthetically pleasing while using only Popsicle sticks and white glue. The bridges are judged for creativity, and then subjected to the pressures of a hydraulic press until they snap. The longest-lasting and most original structures win. Event runs 8 a.m. to noon, free.
 
Puget Sound Engineering Council Engineering Fair
The universal span of engineering is demonstrated at The Puget Sound Engineering Council's annual Engineering Fair at The Museum of Flight. Youths interested in engineering can learn all about exciting career opportunities by talking to professionals in the field including those from NASA, Boeing and universities. Student clubs will be in force, and there are plenty of hands-on activities for young children. The event free, and runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
 
Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2015, the independent, non-profit Museum of Flight is one of the largest air and space museums in the world, serving more than 560,000 visitors annually. The Museum's collection includes more than 160 historically significant airplanes and spacecraft, from the first fighter plane (1914) to today's 787 Dreamliner. Attractions also include the original Boeing Company factory, and the world's only full-scale NASA Space Shuttle Trainer. The Museum's aviation and space library and archives are the largest on the West Coast. More than 150,000 individuals are served annually by the Museum's on-site and outreach educational programs. The Museum of Flight is accredited by the American Association of Museums, and is an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.
 
The Museum of Flight is located at 9404 E. Marginal Way S., Seattle, Exit 158 off Interstate 5 on Boeing Field halfway between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport. The Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $20 for adults, $17 for seniors 65 and older, $17 for active military, $12 for youth 5 to 17, and free for children under 5. Group rates are available. Admission on the first Thursday of the month is free from 5 to 9 p.m. courtesy of Wells Fargo. McCormick & Schmick's Wings Café is on site. For general Museum information, please call 206-764-5720 or visit www.museumofflight.org