Guide Students' Thinking

Use these questions to help your students write a Research Essay that meets the competition requirements. 

1. What energy source will your city use to generate electricity?
2. How will your city generate and transmit electric power using this energy source?
3. What are the benefits of using this energy source?
4. How will using this energy source help offset dependence on fossil fuels?
5. Does the energy source have any environmental impacts?
6. What are the risks connected to using this energy source?
7. What will you incorporate into your design to reduce these risks?
8. What types of engineering are used in your design for generating electricity?
9. What is the role of the engineer you believe to be most useful to the creation and development of your solution?
10. As you develop your solution, how could you use the design process to help you work through problems (define the problem to solve; brainstorm various solutions; select a solution; design, build, test and redesign solution; share results)?
11. How can you represent your solution in your model?
12. Is your essay organized, well written, free of grammar and spelling errors, and no more than 1,000 words (not counting the title)?

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