2008-2009 Pittsburgh Regional Future City Competition

Sponsored In Part By Shell

Welcome to the Pittsburgh Regional Future City Competition Site!

Congratulations to the 2008 Winners:

1st - St. Bede School
2nd - A.E. Oblock Junior High School
3rd - Trinity Middle School
4th - Fort Couch Middle School
5th - Mary Queen of Apostles School

Click here for a complete list of Pittsburgh Regional Winners.

Presented in cooperation with
and
Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania
Carnegie Science Center

National Engineers Week seeks to increase public awareness and appreciation of the engineering profession and technology by emphasizing engineers' positive contributions to society.

To help students better understand the practical applications of mathematical and scientific principles the National Engineers Week Committee is sponsoring the 16th Annual National Engineers Week Future City Competition™.

2008-2009 National Engineers Week
Future City Competition

Since the National Engineers Week Future City Competition began, the education and engineering communities have recognized it as an innovative learning program. Excitement abounds throughout the classroom. Students are responsible for solving problems while creating their future city.

The National Engineers Week Future City Competition offers students a resourceful way to learn about engineering.

Students will:

• Learn how engineers turn ideas into reality.
• Develop a project plan to guide team activities.
• Use SimCity™ software to design their city.
• Build a city model using recycled materials.
• Work as a team under the guidance of an engineer and a teacher.
• Demonstrate writing skills by composing an essay on an engineering design problem.
• Enhance communications skills through a team presentation.

The competition is open to students in 7th and 8th grades around the country including these cities and regions: Albany, Baltimore, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas/ Fort Worth, Hampton Roads, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New York City, Omaha, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Reno, San Francisco, St. Louis, Washington DC, the states of Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, Washington, and West Virginia. More competition cities may be added this summer.

Regional Competitions are scheduled during January. The Pittsburgh Regional Competition will be held January 24, 2009 at Carnegie Music Hall. The first place team from each Regional Competition will win a trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the national finals during National Engineers Week in February.

The Challenge:
Design and Build a City of the Future

Each team will create a city displaying residential, commercial and industrial areas, power plants, transportation systems, communication systems, etc. Students will address important issues such as pollution, traffic density, taxes, and budgets while creating their city.

The solution includes developing a project plan, a logical model of a city using award winning SimCity™ software, a team-made physical scale model, an essay and a verbal presentation. Software will be provided to registered schools by the regional coordinator. One software package is provided to each registered school.

Competition Guidelines

• Teams representing the school at the regional competition will consist of three students (must be from the same school), an engineer-mentor, and a teacher-sponsor.
• The students, with the help of the engineer-mentor and teacher-sponsor, will design the logical model of the city using SimCity™.
• The team will construct a scale model of the city section using recycled materials (plastic jugs, glass jars, aluminum cans, tubing, etc.) in their designs. The model must be no larger than 25"(W) x 50"(L) x 20"(H).
• The model must contain at least one moving part. Power sources must be self-contained (no external power plugs).
• The students will be required to write a 500-700 word essay explaining their response to a specific engineering or design challenge.
• Students will explain the unique design features of their city design during team verbal presentation.
• The total cost of all materials used to make the model and any materials used in support of the verbal presentation may not exceed $100 (cash or in-kind).
• No laptop computers or videos can be used for the presentation.

National Competition Finals

The National Finals are held in Washington, D.C. during National Engineers Week, February 14-19, 2009. Regional winners from around the country compete for national honors and prizes.

The National Engineers Week Committee will provide the airfare and hotel accommodations for the five winning team members from each region. Team members will be responsible for all additional expenses such as ground transportation and meals.

Prizes

The National First Place team will win a trip to the U.S. Space Camp. Other prizes include scholarships, computers and savings bonds. In addition, teams will be eligible for special awards and recognition sponsored by engineering societies and other organizations.