Future City, now in its 16th year, asks middle school students to develop futuristic urban designs, first on computer and then in large tabletop models. Working in teams with a teacher and volunteer engineer mentor, students create their cities using the SimCity 3000TM videogame From that design, they build large table-top models using recycled materials with a budget of less than $100.
They write a city abstract and an essay on using engineering to solve an important social need — this year's theme asks students to describe how nanotechnology will monitor their city’s structures and systems to keep its infrastructure healthy. At regional competitions in January and at the National Finals, they present, defend, and answer questions about their cities before a panel of engineer judges.
Regional competition winning teams receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington for the Future City National Finals, hosted by Bentley Systems, Incorporated, a leading provider of infrastructure design and engineering software.
::Design World::
Filed Under: Student programs • Technical education