Future City Competition Putting the “E” in STEM Jean Eason Regional Coordinator

Future City Program = Future Engineers Educational program that not only hones STEM skills, but also  Provides middle school students with the opportunity to learn about engineering careers by completing the various program phases and working with an engineer-mentor  Links classroom activities to future career opportunities

Future City Competition  Sponsored by DiscoverE (formerly National Engineers Week) −Started in 1992 as a 1-time project −Now in 40 Regions in US −3 regions in Texas  Annual Statistics −40,000 middle school students −1000+ middle schools −7500 volunteers −225,000 volunteer service hours

North Texas Regional  Measures of Success −14 th year −More than 600 students in the N TX region from 40 public schools in 29 districts, 3 private schools, 5 homeschools −More than 50% of the students are minority or female −33% of the schools have >50% of students in assisted lunch program  Attracts students to engineering: >50% will consider engineering as a career  Improves STEM skills: vast majority of students better understand math, science, technology and how they are important to the future  Involves the entire engineering community −More than 100 engineers in N TX give more than 1000 hours of their time to FC −Display models at Eweek exhibition at FW Museum of Science & History

2014 North Texas Sponsors

Why This Competition Stands Out  Targets middle school students  Emphasizes 21 st century skills: problem solving, communication, teamwork  Provides interaction among students, teachers, and engineer- mentors for experiential learning  Hands-on, project-based, real-world challenges  Mimics the Engineering Design Process  Labor intensive, but inclusive of all student skill-levels  Low cost allows any school or organization to participate  Proven to inspire students to explore futuristic concepts and technical careers

Program Elements  The Challenge: Design and Build a Livable City of the Future 1.Work in teams 2.Conceive an initial city plan, design 3.Simulate, refine solution 4.Research, write paper 5.Build physical scale model 6.Stay within budget 7.Present final solution to judges

Step 1  Build a team

Step 2  Build a team  Initial Design and Simulation −SimCity ™

Step 3  Build a team  Initial Design and Simulation  Write paper on an assigned engineering topic −Applying nanotechnology to structural health monitoring −Devising a plan to use fuel cells as a power source for the city −Managing Stormwater runoff −Solving tomorrow’s transit problems −Developing an urban agriculture program to feed your city

Step 4  Build a team  Initial Design and Simulation  Write paper on an assigned engineering topic  Build a physical model −To scale −Within budget −Moving part

Step 5  Build a team  Initial Design and Simulation  Write paper on an assigned engineering topic  Build a physical model  Present and defend design −Panel of judges

Awards and Prizes 1st Place −Trophy −Medals −Gift cards −Check for organization −Trip to Washington, DC 2 nd and 3 rd Places −Medals −Gift cards −Check for organization Special Awards − Plaque-Certificate − Gift cards − Check for organization * (* depends on sponsor)

Register Now!  Register online:  Registration fee: $25 (per organization) −Schools: public, private, parochial, homeschools −Youth organizations: Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Boys & Girls Clubs, 4-H, etc. −Multiple teams per organization allowed (for one registration fee)  FC supplies: −SimCity program −Handbook of rules and suggestions −Webinar training sessions