Design a City of the Future
It is up to middle school students to solve one of the country’s most difficult dilemmas: creating affordable housing for the poor that is energy efficient and leaves a low carbon footprint.
The 18th annual National Engineers Week Future City Competition is challenging seventh and eighth graders nationwide to design cities that adhere to LEED approved environmentally sustainable building standards.
“We learned that engineering is more than just making sure that buildings work the way they are supposed to,” commented Tom Krajnak, 14, a member of the 2009 Grand Prize winning team from Bexley Middle School in Bexley, Ohio. “Engineers are involved in every aspect of building a city.”
Students will work in teams under the guidance of a teacher and a volunteer engineer-mentor to design a model of their city using SimCity 4 Deluxe software and then build a physical model of the city using recycled materials. The students will also compose a research essay describing their design and outlining the key features of their city. Finalists will present their design and city before a panel of judges.
The registration deadline is October 31, 2009 and the regional finals will be held in Washington DC during Engineers Week in February 2010. National Grand Prize winners will receive a trip to U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, provided by Bentley Systems, Incorporated, and second and third place prize winners will receive $5,000 and $2,000 scholarships for their schools’ technology programs.
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