Future City Competition is a national competition in the United States that focuses on improving students' math, engineering, and science skills. The program is open to students in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades who attend a public, private or home school. The FutureCity Competition is an example of problem-based learning with computer simulation, in STEM education. The program asks 6th, 7th and 8th grade students from around the nation to team with engineer-volunteer mentors to create – first on computer and then in three-dimensional models – their visions of the city of tomorrow. A program of the DiscoverE organization, it has been operating since 1992 and currently serves over 40,000 students.
Aims
The aim of the Future City Competition is to provide an exciting educational engineering program for sixth, seventh and eighth grade students that combines a stimulating engineering challenge with an inquiry-based application to present their vision of a city of the future.
Benefits
The Future City Competition provides a platform for students to increase their:
An awareness of community and business issues on the local and global levels.
National Academic Content Standards
The Future City Competition components are strongly aligned with many national educational standards relating to STEM fields.
State Academic Content Standards
State Academic Standards are based on the National Academic Standards.
Two levels: regional competitions and the national finals for the winners of the previous contests. The goal is to design a futuristic city and discuss its important elements: urban planning, zoning, transportation, energy, economy, environment, and education.
Team members represent their ideas and proposals in several ways:
Essay about the yearly theme.
A City Narrative discussing their city's attributes, features, and main concepts.
A Physical Model to show a physical representation of their city. The model is to consist of as many recycled materials as possible, and must cost less than 100 dollars.
Presentation to describe their city to the judges on the day of the competition.
Awards and prizes
Teams that win their Regional Competitions advance to the National Finals. Teams competing at the National Finals have the opportunity to win the following prizes:
1st Place: A trip to Space Camp and $7,500 from Bentley Systems
