Future City Competition is a national competition in the United States that focuses on improving student's math, engineering, and science skills. The program is open to all students in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades who attend a public, private or home school.
- The National Engineers Week Future City Competition (www.futurecity.org) is an example of problem based learning with computer simulation. It is an integrated, multidisciplinary, holistic approach to relevant issues and is a strong example of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics) education that addresses national and state academic content standards. The program asks 7th and 8th grade students from around the nation to team with engineer-volunteer mentors to create — first on computer and then in large, three-dimensional models — their visions of the city of tomorrow. The Future City Competition, organized under the National Engineers Week Foundation, has been operating under the National Engineers Week Future City Competition charter since 1992.
- To truly affect the ways students and general public perceive engineering it is important for engineers to use the right messages. Too often engineers focus their messages to young students on the process of becoming an engineer and overlook messages on the value of an engineering career. The National Engineers Week Foundation has been engaged with two projects specifically to research and develop messages around messages to convey that engineering is a helping profession. These messages also convey the value of teamwork and creativity. Learn more from ‘Engineer Your Life’ and ‘Changing the Conversation’ at www.eweek.org.
- Mission Statement:
The mission of the National Engineers Week Future City Competition is to provide a fun and exciting educational engineering program for seventh- and eighth-grade students that combines a stimulating engineering challenge with an inquiry-based application to present their vision of a city of the future.
- BENEFITS OF THE NATIONAL ENGINEERS WEEK FUTURE CITY COMPETITION:
The program offers students a fun way to learn about engineering and cities of the future while at the same time developing academic skills. The program is in keeping with the 21st Century Skills as described in Chapter 3
- The National Engineers Week Future City Competition provides a platform for students to increase their:
- • Logical thinking skills,
- • Problem-solving skills,
- • Ability to work in teams,
- • Research and technical writing
- • Oral presentation skills,
- • Application of coursework to practical problems,
- • Technological skills, and
- • An awareness of community and business issues on the local and global levels.
- National Academic Content Standards
The Future City Competition components are strongly correlated to the National Academic Standards, particularly those connected to STEM education
- State Academic Content Standards
It should also be noted that State Academic Standards are based on the National Academic Standards.
- It contains two levels: regional competitions and the National Finals for the winners of these previous contests. The goal is to design a futuristic city and discussing its important elements of a city: urban planning, zoning, transportation, energy, economy, environment, and education. Team members represent their ideas and proposals in several ways:
- Essay about the yearly theme (for example, the theme of the 2010–2011 Competition is "Providing a reliable and effective health care product that effectively improves the quality of life and comfort for a patient who is either a senior citizen or has a specific disease, or is suffering from an illness, injury or physical disability").
- A City Narrative discussing their city's services and ideas.
- A Physical Model to show a physical representation of their city.
- Computer Design using Sim City 4 software.
- Presentation to describe their city to the judges on the day of the competition.
Registration for the competition begins in May and ends on October 15, 2010.
Read more about Future City Competition: Winners of The 2006–2007, Winners of The 2007–2008, Winners of The 2008–2009, Winners of The 2009–2010
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