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From Earth To Mars: Students Engineer Future Cities That Might Actually Work Competition hones workplace skills and sets young imaginations on fire. February 12 - As NASA’s six-wheeled rovers prowl the Martian surface and America considers sending manned missions to Mars, some students in the 2004 National Engineers Week Future City Competition™ are one step ahead: They’ve laid plans for the planet’s first colony. And, if their computer-generated and three-dimensional model is any indication, it just might work. Now in its 12th year, Future City invites seventh- and eighth-graders across the country to build a city of tomorrow. By giving young people a taste of engineering, the competition lays the foundation for developing workplace skills such as vision and imagination, teamwork, and problem-solving, and provides hands-on applications for math and science. The cities are always spectacular, and this year, some are out of this world, with Mars having a particularly auspicious presence. “There’s a lot going on with Mars right now, what with the Rover and all,” says 14-year-old Robert Caruso from St. Barnabas Catholic School in Chicago, whose team placed first in that city’s recent regional competition and won a trip to the Future City National Finals, February 23-25, at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. More than 1,100 middle schools and 30,000 students – who work with a teacher and a volunteer engineer mentor – participated in the not-for-profit educational program this year. Winning teams from 33 regional competitions in January meet during National Engineers Week for the finals, where students present and defend their cities before a panel of judges. First prize is a trip to US Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, provided by National Finals host Bentley Systems, Incorporated, a leading engineering software company, and chair of the competition’s new National Leadership Council. Future City is sponsored by National Engineers Week, February 22-28, 2004, co-chaired by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) / IEEE-USA and the Fluor Corporation. IEEE-USA also provided hotel and travel expenses for three of the winning teams. Mars may be 49 million miles away, with a toxic atmosphere and frigid temperatures, but the St. Barnabas students proceeded undaunted. They designed their city, “Lewis and Clark,” to thrive beneath a series of 19 domes built above and below ground that protect inhabitants from radiation. Within the domes – each simulating a different earthly climate – they’ve built parks, zoos, and a pedestrian-friendly urban landscape. In their city abstract, which each team writes as part of the competition, the students conclude: “Remember, there is life on Mars. And it’s the good life.” Mars is also the focus of the team from Holy Trinity Catholic School in Lexana, Kansas. Their city, “UPM” (United Pedestrians of Mars), is the planet’s first permanent colony. Life is good in UPM, too. The tax rate is a mere one percent – SimCity 3000 software, used to create the computer portion of the city and donated to every school by Maxis, a division of Electronic Arts, of Walnut Creek, California, requires all cities to operate on a budget – and the citizens are well-educated. But, why Mars? As one eighth-grader put it, “On Mars we can take advantage of new technology that will help solve the problems of Earth.” Teaching students to hone the skills that solve real-world problems is at the core of Future City. In addition to their computer design, model, presentation and abstract, the students must also research and write an essay on an engineering challenge. For 2004, the topic is using plastics to help senior citizens live a better life in the future. This year’s essay challenge, sponsored by the American Plastics Council, inspired some incredible results. Students from Lyal Burkholder Junior High in Henderson, Nevada, came up with a pliable cast that radiates heat to arthritic joints. “It sends heat waves into bones and relaxes the muscles,” says Ashley Jensen, 12. The winning eighth-graders from The Westwood School in Dallas, Texas, developed a plan to inject microscopic plastic bits into broken bones that harden into an internal splint. After the bone mends, the plastic harmlessly degrades. Steve Eynon, a 14-year-old from Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, explained that helping the elderly made sense to him. “I know that we’ll all be old one day,” he says, but acknowledged that technology isn’t the only answer. “You need people to care. If the people don’t care, they won’t develop the technology. You need both.” Or as Sean Perrault, a 7th-grader at Marquette Catholic School in Yakima, Washington, simply puts it, “They’re our elders. We need to help them.” Developing those kinds of insights seems to come naturally to Future City participants, according to Carol Rieg, the program’s national director. “The competition allows young people to move beyond a limited range of ideas and expectations,” she says, “and consider a whole new world of possibilities. Future City cultivates the skills – troubleshooting, creative vision and cooperation – that give them confidence and let them know that they can be achievers in that new world.” Sue Hawkins, a math teacher at St. Philip Neri School in Midwest City, Oklahoma, agrees. “After Future City, there’s more questioning, more noticing, and more investigation of the world around them,” she notes. And it is often the first step to an engineering career. Jackie Welch-Doubek, a librarian who guided Burkholder Junior High to win the Las Vegas regionals, says there’s a definite connection between Future City and a newfound interest in engineering. “I have two girls from my first Future City team six years ago who have gone into engineering. Others are pursuing technical careers that they didn’t even think about until this competition.” The volunteer engineer mentors say it’s an ideal introduction to the profession. “In many of the jobs I’ve done as an engineer, I’ve had deadlines, I needed to work in a team, and I’ve had to present my thoughts and ideas to others. Future City teaches children all of that,” says John Bishop, an electrical engineer at Texas Instruments who served as mentor for The Westwood School students. Even the parents of Future City students become more aware of the role of engineering, says Timothy Cullina, PE, an environmental and safety engineer who mentored St. Barnabas, which can be critical when a child considers a profession. “If you want kids to become interested in an engineering career,” he explains, “it’s important to have that support.” Further, Future City reaches a child at an important time of their development, says Cynthia Sabula, assistant principal at Queens of Angels Catholic School in Roswell, Georgia, which represents the South Carolina region. “The students learned how to work in teams and that’s very valuable,” she says. “They looked at the project, broke it down into parts, and set goals and deadlines. To see them grow was a real treasure.” Leslie Howard, from Pineville Middle School in Pineville, Kentucky, says Future City helped her grow as a public speaker. “I’m not really good at speaking in front of people,” the 13-year-old says of her presentation before the judges at the Kentucky regionals. “But, I went over it and over it and I practiced and practiced.” In the end, she says, she discovered a newfound sense of accomplishment. Jamie Brown is proud, too. The eighth-grader at Ira Murphy Elementary School in Peoria, Arizona, says he’s long enjoyed excelling at football, baseball and other sports that make him work. “But,” he says, “Future City makes me work my mind and that makes me feel good, too.” # # #
Judges at the National Finals:
About Electronic Arts: Electronic Arts (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts posted revenues of $2.5 billion for fiscal 2003. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under three brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EA GAMESTM, and EA SPORTS BIGTM. 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 on the Internet at http://info.ea.com. National Engineers Week, founded in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers, is dedicated to increasing public awareness and appreciation of the engineering profession and technology and is celebrated by thousands of engineers, engineering students, teachers and leaders in government and business. Co-chairs for 2004 are The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) / IEEE-USA and the Fluor Corporation. Visit National Engineers Week at www.eweek.org.
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National Engineers Week Foundation
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