National Engineers' Week Futurecity Competition™

MISSION MIDDLE SCHOOL IN BELLEVUE, NEBRASKA
WINS 2003 NATIONAL ENGINEERS WEEK FUTURE CITY COMPETITION

     WASHINGTON, February 19 -- A city of the future -- "Candeo Glacia" -- designed by students from Mission Middle School in Bellevue, Nebraska, has won the eleventh annual National Engineers Week Future City CompetitionTM. Students Megan Horton, Casey Laski and Mitchell Laski (yes, they are twins) teamed up with their teacher Susan Hester and engineer mentor Lt. Commander Freddie Bazen of the U.S. Navy. Candeo Glacia, located on the South Carolina coast, offers unlimited opportunity, high quality living and innovative technology. Its name means "glowing ice," referring to the hydrogen fuel extracted from underwater methane deposits. (A complete description of the city can be found at the end of this release.)
     Winning teams from 30 regional competitions held in January participated in the competition that took place Monday through Wednesday, February 17 to 19 at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in the midst of one of the largest snowstorms ever to hit the region. More than 30,000 students from more than 1,000 schools participated nationwide.
     The competition asks students to create -- first on computer and then in large 3-D scale models -- their visions of the city of tomorrow. Students work with engineer mentors who help guide the youngsters through the rigors of building a functioning city. Using SimCity 3000TM -- donated by Maxis, a software firm in Walnut Creek, Calif. -- the students fabricate a metropolis from the ground up, balance a city budget and deal with social issues and solve intricate problems of math, science, and technology along the way. Then they present and defend their city to engineer judges at the competition, write an essay about how biotechnology can be used to solve pollution problems, and an abstract describing their city and its services.
     The winning team receives a free trip to U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, donated by national finals host Bentley Systems. The second place team, from St. Thomas More School of Baton Rouge, Louisiana receives $2,000 for the school's technology program, donated by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Third place went to Atascocita Middle School in Humble, Texas which receives a $1,000 scholarship for their school technology curriculum, provided by The National Society of Professional Engineers. Franklin Middle School from Wheaton, Illinois placed fourth, while St. Mary Parish School in Hales Corners, Wisconsin, finished fifth. All 30 regional winning teams received an all-expense-paid trip to Washington for the finals.
     Special awards sponsored by various engineering societies, corporations and organizations included:

• Best Use of Ceramics (The American Ceramic Society): The Westwood School, Dallas, Texas
• Best Use of Aerospace Technology (The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics): Harrison Middle School, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Best Use of Biotechnology/Materials/Processes (American Institute of Chemical Engineers): Birchland Park Middle School, East Longmeadow, Massachusetts
• Most Innovative Design of Infrastructure Systems (American Society of Civil Engineers): Algonquin Middle School, Averill Park, New York
• Best Indoor Environment (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers): Mission Middle School, Bellevue, Nebraska
• Best Futuristic City (American Society of Mechanical Engineers International): Harding Middle School, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
• Best Residential Zone (The Chinese Institute of Engineers/USA): Heritage Middle School, Westerville, Ohio
• Best Futuristic Personal Transportation System (Ford Motor Company): Epiphany Catholic School, Miami, Florida
• Best Communications System (The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers - USA): Drexel Hill Middle School, Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania
• Excellence in Systems Integration (Institute of Industrial Engineers): Jefferson Middle School, Oceanside, California
• Best Use of Automation and Control in City Systems and Services (The Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society): St. Mary Parish School, Hales Corners, Wisconsin
• Best Model (Lockheed Martin): St. Thomas More School, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Best Use of Information Technology (National Aeronautics and Space Administration): Atascocita Middle School, Humble, Texas
• Best Engineering Education, Research and Development (National Science Foundation): Nativity of Our Lord School, Orchard Park, New York
• Protecting Public Health and Safety Through Competent and Ethical Engineering Practices (National Society of Professional Engineers): Valley Middle School, Oakland, New Jersey
• Most Innovative Power Generation System (Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program): First Lutheran School, Ponca City, Oklahoma
• Best Manufacturing Zone (Society of Manufacturing Engineers): Nipher Middle School, Kirkwood, Missouri
• Judges Award (United Engineering Foundation): Cook County Middle School, Grand Marais, Minnesota
• Best Transportation System (U.S. Department of Transportation - Federal Highway Administration): Lakeview Christian Homeschool Cooperative, Spanaway, Washington
  

     The "People's Choice" award, voted on by all the Future City students, went to Heritage Middle School in Westerville, Ohio. Certificates of Technological Innovation -- a special recognition of the top three teams, were presented by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Technology Administration.
     The Future City Competition is sponsored by National Engineers Week, founded in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers to increase public awareness and appreciation of the engineering profession and of technology. Co-chairs for 2003 are the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and Lockheed Martin.

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Omaha Competition: Mission Middle School - Bellevue, Nebraska
Future City: Candeo Glacia

Candeo Glacia, located on the South Carolina coast, offers unlimited opportunity, high-quality living and innovative technology. Our name means “glowing ice”, referring to the hydrogen fuel extracted from underwater methane deposits. Industrial activity centers on hydrogen power production, which is clean and inexpensive. Hydrogen processed from methane hydrate deposits is sold worldwide. Carbon waste from the production process is bioremdiated back into the ocean floor in an engineered bioreactor. No cars are found in Candeo Glacia. Transportation is provided by mag-lev trains and our Mobility People Mover. Emergency personnel respond by hovercraft. Engineers designed Candeo Glacia in hexagon-shaped segments containing residential, commercial, and industrial zones, separated to control pollution. This organization provides quick mobility between work, home, and school. Education is top-notch. Schools, libraries, and museums are digitized and provide virtual reality interactions. Student desks are computer/ virtual reality systems. Houses are voice controlled. Refrigerators reorder missing items. Central computer systems control housebots. Buildings adjust automatically to temperature changes. Building materials resist fire and the building memory metal returns to its original shape after damage. Candeo Glacia looks for fun along a waterfront of shops, restaurants, casinos, and stadiums. Money transfers are done electronically using iris biometric scans.