News
Draper
students bring home Future City awards
Jan. 29, 2009
“El Braneertin” was the name of the future city presented by Draper students, Aislinn Elmore, Austin Scott, and Laura Treers at the regional Future City Competition held at Hudson Valley Community College on Saturday, Jan. 17. The project earned two awards in two categories: the “Most Futurist Transportation System” and the “Most Creative Use of Recycled Materials.”
Preparation for this contest began in mid-October, which included a lot of planning and problem-solving. Brandon Walter, Chad Noel, and David LaBombard were also involved in with the construction of the model.
The Future City Competition, sponsored by National Engineers’ Week, requires students to develop skills in problem-solving, team work, research, and presentation through practical math, science, and computer applications. SimCity Deluxe 4 software was used to simulate the development of a vacant piece of land into a fully functioning city with a population of at least 50,000 over the course of 150 years.
Once basic residential, power and transportation needs are established, important decisions were made regarding costly services including public safety and education. This year’s theme was water conservation and students were required to not only learn about water availability and treatment, but also submit an essay supporting their research. The actual scale model began with students brainstorming about what features could be included to fit the dimensional limitations specified in the rules. A practical scale was determined and the model’s features were laid out on a sheet of graph paper.
Serving as advisors for the team were Gerald Garing, district academic administrator for science, and Matthew Hunt, an engineer from Creighton Manning Associates. Mr. Hunt brought his engineering and previous Future City mentoring experience to the Draper team through weekly attendance at after school meetings.
The contest is open to students in the 7th and 8th grades, and preparations have already begun for next year’s entry. Interested students are welcome to become involved in this fun and practical application of math, science, and technology skills.
