Contest: Future City Competition 2010-11
Level: 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. Registration Fee: $25
The 19th Annual Future City Competition
This school-based competition, held from September 2010 through February, 2011, invites 6th, 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.
What Your Students Will Do: Students work in teams with a teacher/coach and a mentor who contributes real-world STEM knowledge.
1. Design a city 150 years in the future using SimCity 4 DeluxeTM software.
2. Research an engineering problem.
3. Write an essay on their solution.
4. Build a tabletop scale model using recycled materials.
5. Present their model and ideas to engineers at the regional competition in January. Regional winners receive a trip to the National Finals in Washington, D.C., in February.
Your students will gain a new interest in how their communities and world work and a better understanding of their place now and in the future, through their: ueasoning, observation, inquiry, and strategy skills; understanding of and ability in the design process; ability to work in teams; research, writing, and verbal presentation skills.
The National Engineers Week Future® City Competition 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.
Check the Website for rules and guidelines, and the online registration form.
The National Future City Competition is sponsored in part by the National Engineers Week Foundation, a consortium of professional and technical societies and major U.S. corporations.
View the YouTube Video:
Filed under: Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, K-12 Outreach Programs
Tags: After School, Amazing Engineering, Competitions for Students, Grades 9-12
eGFI Magazine Engineering Week Special:
Between now and the end of Engineers Week, February 20, 2010, teachers can get a special offer of 30 copies of eGFI magazine for the price of 25 ($100), and will also receive a free poster. Find out more here: http://teachers.egfi-k12.org/egfi-magazine-engineering-week-special/
For information on the Chicago Future City Program go to http://www.futurecitychicago.org
Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10752828@N05/sets/72157626018755926/