For a sneak peek at the cities of tomorrow, the Future City Competition will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 12 in the Student Union’s Jordan Ballroom, where the brightest young minds of the region wield imagination and ingenuity to design cities of the future.
Part of National Engineers Week, Future City is a national competition that challenges teams of sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students and their expert mentors to envision an ideal urban environment based on a theme. Their vision then is brought to life through a 1,500-word essay, SimCity4 Deluxe computer simulation and a large, three-dimensional model made from recycled materials.
This year’s theme is “Powering Our Future” and challenges students to fashion cities with electrical grids capable of withstanding and recovering from natural disasters.
Now in its 15th year in Idaho, Future City inspires students to actively consider science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) studies in terms of real world applications, and engages the talents of more than 40,000 students across the United States.
Students will present their cities to a panel of STEM professionals, and staff and students in Boise State’s College of Engineering will be on hand to lend their support and connect with the young competitors to inspire further exploration of STEM. Special awards will be given for categories including Best Electrical Power Delivery System and Most Sustainable Use of Existing Resources.
Idaho’s regional Future City Competition primarily is organized by engineer volunteers and supported by individuals, corporations and professional societies. Major sponsors include the Idaho STEM Action Center, Rotary Boise Sunrise, Boise State College of Engineering, Idaho Society of Professional Engineers, Idaho National Labs (INL), Tamarack Grove, Forsgren Associates, Idaho State University College of Engineering, University of Idaho College of Engineering, ARC Document Solutions, HDR, HP, and Parametrix.
For more information about the regional competition, visit www.futurecity.org/idaho. For more about the national competition, visit www.futurecity.org.