February 1, 2007
SEVENTH- AND EIGHTH-GRADERS FIND A NEW KIND OF COOL: ENGINEERING
Ask a middle school student in America to name a “cool” job and expect answers ranging from rock star to sports idol to engineer.
Engineer? Cool? It’s true: Thanks to an innovative, hands-on educational program – the annual National Engineers Week Future City Competition™– a career that most young people once barely knew existed has now become hot.
While no one is confusing engineering with the next American Idol, the profession that affects virtually every part of our lives has earned the respect and, often, awe of tens of thousands of young Future City participants. And for the teams of seventh- and eighth-grade students from 35 regions across the country heading to the Future City National Finals, February 19-21 at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the passion is particularly keen.
Word from these young competitors is that they can definitely relate to building infrastructure, developing clean energy supplies, exploring outer space and nanotechnology, working medical miracles, and the countless other tasks that engineers do every day.
“Engineering is not some dinky-doo job,” says Sam Watson, an eighth-grader from Flathead Valley Montessori Academy in Kalispell, Montana, whose team won the Idaho regional competition. “It’s hugely important.”
“Now I see why people become engineers,” says Sarah Lewan, 14, from Helen Keller Middle School in Royal Oak, Michigan, heading to Washington to represent the Michigan region. “I always wanted to go into teaching, but now my imagination has been sparked by engineering.”
Dan Sipzner, a 13-year-old at Farnsworth Middle School in Guilderland, New York, from the Albany/Capital District region, notes that he’s been a martial arts enthusiast since first grade, but adds, “Future City is right up there with tae kwon do.”
Future City, celebrating its 15th Anniversary in 2007, asks middle school students to create cities of the future, 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 3000™ videogame donated to all participating schools by Electronic Arts, Inc. of Redwood City, California. They write a city abstract and an essay on using engineering to solve an important social need – this year's theme is how to use fuel cell systems to power a modern metropolis. Then they present, defend, and answer questions about their cities before engineer judges at the competition.
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 engineering software company. Additional funding is provided by Shell Oil Company. Grand prize is a week at US Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. Some 30,000 students from more than 1,000 schools participated in 2006-07. Future City is sponsored in part by Engineers Week, February 18-24, a formal coalition of more than 100 engineering societies and major corporations, co-chaired in 2007 by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and Tyco Electronics Corporation.
A glance at some of the essays on fuel cells – this year’s essay is sponsored by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE-USA) – reveals a wealth of groundbreaking ideas, all backed with rigorous research and using concepts already in testing. The Helen Keller students, for example, have drawn their ideas from peer-reviewed science journals, and paint a world where fuel cells operate on a chain of microbial reactors powered by wastewater.
Future City poses challenges that intrigue young minds and demand their best. In turn, students are energized about science, technology, and mathematics, laying an early groundwork for a much larger qualified engineering workforce, which is critically needed today.
“One of the greatest challenges for those of us with engineering at the core of our businesses is securing a talented and diverse workforce for the future,” says Bentley Systems CEO Greg Bentley. “Our company has joined many others in supporting the National Engineers Week Future City Competition, which captures the attention of students when their choice of courses could have otherwise foreclosed engineering as a pursuit. The combination of engineer-mentors, hands-on learning, and teamwork engages students’ imaginations and interest in engineering.”
John Hofmeister, President of Shell Oil Company, which provides funding to nine regional competitions in addition to the National Finals, says the forward thinking the competition generates benefits the entire profession. “Shell encourages achievement in technology and engineering," he notes, "so Future City fits perfectly with our strategy to support promising students as they pursue innovative projects with an underlying emphasis on math and science, extremely important skills for many occupations at Shell. And as the number of graduates in engineering and geosciences diminishes, it's ever more important to encourage students to build these skills at an early age."
Still, while writing essays, building scale models and preparing presentations all evidence a newfound grasp on the role of engineers, it is the subtle insights students gain into this critical profession that some consider Future City’s most important aspect. Farnsworth teacher Tom McGreevy recalls a feeling that overwhelmed him as he watched his students during their presentation. “There we were in an auditorium and the heroes of the day were the people who bring water to your house and build roads,” he says. “It’s not often you see engineers as heroes.”
For Chris Whiteside, P.E., volunteer engineer mentor for the North Carolina region’s winning team, Dillard Drive Middle School in Raleigh, it’s the students who give him pause. “The presentation is the big component,” he says. “I get so proud in there. I sit in the corner and I’m gleaming. That’s when little boys and girls become young men and women.”
Lindon Richards, a teacher at Milpitas Christian School in San Jose whose team represents Northern California at the National Finals, says the demands of the competition help with many different aspects of learning and have long lasting effects. “I see change in students,” Richards explains. “I had two boys from our first competition a few years ago who are now in tenth grade and are leading kids in robotics. They thank Future City.”
For Future City National Director Carol Rieg, the program delivers because it taps so many skills and motivates students to cooperate and make the most of each individual’s strengths. “All the talents that engineers use in their careers – math, science, language arts, communication skills – the students in Future City must use, too. And, like engineers, they do so through research, teamwork, and compromise,” she says. “These important lessons don’t come from books, but from hands-on projects like Future City. Considering the growing popularity of the program, it seems the students agree.”
Count Brenton Tartaglino among them. The 14-year-old from Flathead Valley Montessori says his mind, and his future, have been opened by Future City. “There’s so much about engineering I now know,” he says. “Before, it was like you were in a blindfold. Future City really broadened my horizons.”
# # #
- Future City National Finals – First-place teams from 35 regional competitions: Alabama, Albany/ Capital District (NY), Buffalo, Northern California, Southern California, Chicago, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas/Great Plains, Kentucky, Las Vegas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New England, New York City, North Carolina, Northern Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Omaha/Heartland, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Texas – Houston & South Texas, Texas – North Texas, Washington, D.C., Washington State, and Wisconsin.
- Heading the Future City Competition Leadership Council is Future City National Finals host Bentley Systems, Incorporated (www.bentley.com), a leading engineering software company. Shell Oil Company (www.shell.com) is a major contributor to the Future City National Finals and a primary funder of nine regional competitions. The 2007 Future City Essay sponsor is The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers – USA (IEEE-USA) (www.ieee.org).
- The National Engineers Week Future City Competition is sponsored in part by the National Engineers Week Foundation, a formal coalition of professional societies, major corporations and government agencies, dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers among young students and by promoting pre-college literacy in math and science. Engineers Week also raises public understanding and appreciation of engineers' contributions to society. Founded in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers, it is among the oldest of America's professional outreach efforts. Co-chairs for 2007 are the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and Tyco Electronics Corporation. For more information visit www.eweek.org.
- National Finals First-Place team wins a trip to US Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, provided by Bentley Systems, Incorporated. Second-place team receives a $2,000 scholarship for the school's technology program, provided by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Third-place team receives a $1,000 scholarship for the school technology curriculum, provided by The National Society of Professional Engineers. Winning teams (three students, teacher, engineer mentor) from each qualifying regional competition receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington for National Finals. Visit www.futurecity.org.
- Future City National Finals Special Awards: Best Essay, Best Model, Most Innovative Design of Infrastructure Systems, Best Indoor Environment, Most Sustainable Buildings, Best Futuristic City, Best Communications System, Protecting Public Health and Safety through Competent and Ethical Engineering Practices, Most Innovative Power Generation System, Best Manufacturing Zone, Best Transportation System, Excellence In Systems Integration, Best Residential Zone, Best Futuristic Personal Transportation System, Best Use of Aerospace Technology in a future city, Best Use of Innovative Construction Materials and Techniques, Best Representation of Manufacturer Supply Chains, Best Land Surveying Practices, Most Innovative Uses of Aggregates (Crushed Stone, Sand & Gravel) in Designing Future Cities, Best Management of Water Resources, Most Healthy Community, Best Fire Protection Engineering, Most Innovative Design/Construction Approach to Achieving Environmental Sustainability, Excellence in Education for High-tech Manufacturing, Innovative Solutions for Waste and Wastewater Utilities, Best Use of Fuel Cell Systems as a Sustainable Energy Source, Best Future City Project Plan, Best Project Team, and Best Context Sensitive which integrates historical and cultural features into today’s environment.
- Future City National Finals Judges: Denise Armbruster, The Armbruster Company and Future City 1995 Alumna; Christy Cooper, United States Department of Energy; Rear Admiral Bruce Grooms, United States Navy; Vince Pascucci, Tyco Electronics Corporation (Engineers Week 2007 Co-Chair), Rick Peters, Society of Manufacturing Engineers (Engineers Week 2007 Co-Chair).
- About the SimCity™ Videogame Franchise: Pursuing a lifelong fascination with simulations, legendary game designer Will Wright and his team at Maxis™ studios created the original SimCity™ in 1989. Critically acclaimed, SimCity garnered dozens of awards and sold millions of copies both domestically and internationally. SimCity 2000™followed in 1993. SimCity 3000, released in 1999, became the #1 selling PC game that year. SimCity™4 was released in January 2003 and continues to win awards and remain on top of the sales charts. SimCity™4 Deluxe Edition, which includes SimCity 4 and the latest SimCity™4 Rush Hour Expansion Pack, launched in September 2003 to rave reviews. The franchise has sold more than 17 million games to date. These games are rated “E” (Everyone) by the ESRB.
- Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for videogame systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA™, EA SPORTS BIG™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2006, EA posted revenue of $2.95 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found at http://info.ea.com. Electronic Arts, EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS BIG, POGO, and The Sims are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.
