BE Magazine Volume 5, Issue 2 - (Page 14) SUSTAINING THE INFRASTRUCTURE PROFESSIONS Future City Fosters Interest in Sciences and Engineering Celebrating its 16th year, the Future City program lays an early groundwork for a much larger qualified engineering workforce by asking middle-school students to create cities of the future, first on computer and then in large tabletop models. Working in teams with a teacher and volunteer engineer mentor, students create model cities and write an abstract and essay on using engineering to solve an important social need. At this year’s Future City Competition Finals hosted by Bentley, which also provides the first prize of a trip to U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala., a city of the future named RA engineered by students from Heritage Middle School in Westerville, Ohio, won top honors. The competition in late February included teams from 36 middle schools nationwide, which designed cities of tomorrow taking into account harsh realities such as aging infrastructure, climate change, and economic difficulties as they gaze into the future. Approximately 30,000 students from more than 1,100 schools participated in the 2007– 2008 program. Second place went to Farnsworth Middle School in Guilderland, New York, for its future city called Mohala. Our Lady Help of Christians School in Abington, Pa., took third place honors for its future city named Port Tranquility. “Part of our responsibility as industry leaders lies in developing the talented and diverse workforce who will be designing the world’s infrastructure in the future,” said Bentley CEO Greg Bentley. “We have joined with many others who support the National Engineers Week Future City Competition because of its unique ability for inspiring students to consider career choices that might otherwise have overlooked engineering. The combination of engineer mentors, handson learning, and teamwork engages students and opens the door to endless possibilities for them and the engineering profession.” Added Future City National Director Carol Rieg, “Embracing advanced engineering concepts underscores the rigors of the program as well as the tenacity of the students. No matter what we give these young people, they consistently rise to the challenge. Future City sparks imaginations to see engineering as a critical component of their world and a viable pathway for their own futures.” Click here to view the video! v Best Management of Water Resources (Special Award sponsored by Bentley): Gates Intermediate School in Scituate, Mass.— engineer mentor Brian Jones, Zachary Brazao, teacher Adam Culbert, Rebecca Short, Bentley’s Chintana Herrin, Chippy Kennedy, and Bentley’s Frank Conforti Heritage Middle School: Jeremy Boyd, Emma Henderson, and Glen Gainer 14 BE MAGAZINE | Volume 5, Issue 2 Ben Zweig/DCEventphoto) v http://www.futurecity.org http://www.myfoxdc.com/myfox/pages/InsideFox/Detail?contentId=5821231&version=5&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=5.2.1
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