The Team Leaders: Allison Lam, Dawson McNamara-Bloom,
Jared Stein, and Hannan Rhodes
Essay Writers: Delila Penson, Michelle Komisarchik, and Alexis Rosa
Narrative Writers: Bobbi Richards and Alejandro Ortega
Awards Won For City:
MOST HOLISTIC APPROACH presented by CH2M HILL.
Our city won the award for the over all approach.
BEST APPLICATION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN A FUTURE CITY awarded by Florida International University and Florida Engineering Society.
Future City Challenge 2013- Regional Competition for South Florida
Virtual Future City Design progressing to Model of Future City Building!
The Future City Challenge has begun work. Students are participating in the virtual city design on computers, with standards and rubrics for competition. The building of the Future City Model will begin next week. Ms. Foote is the coach for Future City Challenge and will compete in Regional Competition at FIU with National Engineers Society, January 26, 2013. Presenters will be Dawson McNamara-Bloom, Allison Lam, and Guido Dominquez. http://futurecity.org/parents
PRESS RELEASE: Nautilus Middle School
Future City Challenge - Gwen Foote- Coach for competition
IS EXTREME WEATHER BECOMING THE NEW NORMAL?
Drought / Deluge cycles lead to increased flooding & polluted water systems.
DROUGHT/DELUGE CYCLES LEAD TO INCREASED FLOODING AND POLLUTED WATER SYSTEMS
Middle School Students from South Florida Region take on challenge in Annual Future City Competition Rethink Runoff and Design Clean Solutions to Manage Stormwater Pollution.
Miami, Florida Whether the result of man-made climate change or something else as yet unexplained, most people agree that extreme weather is becoming all too common. When it’s colder in May than in February, or when the season’s biggest snowstorm comes in October, you know something unusual is upon us.
One of the most potentially damaging aspects of extreme weather is radical swings in precipitation. Regions throughout the world find themselves experiencing prolonged drought, then are suddenly hit with torrential storms. When this happens, rainwater quickly turns into runoff, especially in cities, where hard surfaces—like roofs, sidewalks, and parking lots—prevent rain from soaking into the ground and leads to damaging and sometimes catastrophic flooding.
Until now, the most common response has been to channel water away from urban areas. But, as it moves, runoff carries pollutants into storm drains which empty directly into the waterways used for recreation, fishing and drinking water. Now engineers are rethinking this approach. They are beginning to imagine and design new and creative ways to manage stormwater that make city landscapes act more like natural landscapes. These innovations help reduce runoff, increase the amount of water that soaks into the ground and improve water quality.
THIRD PARTY EXPERT QUOTE
With this critical issue topping the news all across the country, National Engineers Week Foundation’s annual Future City® Competition announces the essay theme for its 2012-13 challenge:
The competition begins in earnest when South Florida middle schoolers, along with more than 35,000 students from 1,300 schools in nearly 40 regions nationally, return to school this Fall. Pre-registration is now open, giving students the opportunity to sign up early and get organized. Future City is also looking for engineering and technical professionals who may be interested in serving as mentors. For information about Future City, to register, or to volunteer, visit www.futurecity.org. The deadline to register is October 31, 2012.
South Florida regional competition culminates with the regional finals in January, 2013. The winning team from South Florida will represent South Florida at the national finals in Crystal City, VA, which take place during Engineer’s Week, in February 2013.2
Participating students use SimCity™ 4 Deluxe Edition software to design a virtual Future City model incorporating their ideas. Then they will build a physical model using recycled materials which can cost no more than $100 to build. Developed by Maxis, an Electronic Arts studio, SimCity 4 is the reigning king of city-building simulators that allows players to become mayor of their own intricately designed cities. For almost 10 years, SimCity 4 has altered the way that people view the world around them and has inspired a generation of civic leaders and city planners around the globe. Maxis is working on an all-new entry in the franchise, SimCity, is set to launch for PC in 2013.
The annual Future City challenge has received national attention and acclaim for its role in encouraging middle schoolers nationwide to develop their interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Through hands-on applications, Future City participants discover by doing how engineering is both accessible and can make a difference in the world. Sixth, seventh and eighth graders are eligible to take part in the competition.
Major funding for the national finals comes from Bentley and Shell Oil Company. Additional program funding comes from Atkins and the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation.
Greg Bentley, CEO of Bentley Systems, a sponsor of the national Future City Competition for the past 14 years, says, "This year’s challenge is particularly timely given the massive flooding that occurred early in 2012 in so many parts of the globe. Providing resilience to such devastation through the design and construction of better-performing, intelligent infrastructure is what engineers do to protect the world’s life-sustaining potable water supplies. Having these bright young students come up with similarly rigorous solutions to a problem they know to be very real is a great way to inspire them to pursue a career in engineering – so that they, too, can make a difference in the quality of life for people around the world."
"Future City has, once again, brought forth an important issue for students to address," adds Debra Stewart, Director, Supplier Diversity, Workforce Development & Diversity Outreach, Shell Oil Company. "The
Rethink Runoff project will not only allow students to utilize science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) concepts, but it will also promote critical and innovative thinking skills. We believe it is important to continually engage and encourage STEM education to help arm the future scientists and leaders with the necessary knowledge needed to help our country and global community. Shell is proud to be part of the Future City 2012-2013 competition."
"South Florida receives and average of 60-inches of rainfall a year. Sometimes we get 20-inches in a single storm. All of that water washes away pollutants on the surface of roofs, pavements, and lawns and ends up in area canals, in lakes, and in Biscayne Bay and eventually the Atlantic Ocean," according to Civil Engineer and Future City Assistant Coordinator, Rod Rodriguez, PE. "And," he adds, "we have yet to find economical, practical, and useful ways to manage all of that water; and we have just scratched the surface when it comes to cleaning stormwater runoff and of preventing it from becoming contaminated with pollutants. We look to the Engineers of the Future to solve these problems, but we have the technology, and we certainly have the brainpower to provide solutions. I know the students competing in Future City will surprise us with their ideas and solutions. As a Civil Engineer, I am really looking forward to this year’s essays."
About Future City Competition
The Annual National Engineers Week Foundation’s Future City Competition, for sixth, seventh and eighth grade students, is held from September, 2011 through February, 2012. The Future City Competition is a program of National Engineers Week Foundation (NEWF), a consortium of professional and technical societies and major U.S. corporations.
For more information on the Future City Competition, visit www.futurecity.org.
About National Engineers Week Foundation
The National Engineers Week Foundation works year-round to sustain and grow a dynamic engineering profession critical to public health, safety, and welfare. The Foundation supports engineering outreach, education, and celebration through a network of thousands of volunteers in its partner coalition of more than 100 professional societies, major corporations and government agencies. Together we meet a vital need: introducing students, parents, and educators to engineering, engaging them in hands-on engineering experiences, and making science and math relevant. The Foundation and coalition are actively putting the E in STEM.
About the South Florida Regional Competition
The local competition will be held January 19, 2013 at the Florida International University’s College of Engineering and Computing Campus on West Flagler Street, Miami. The competition is open to all 6th, 7th and 8th grade students from public, private and parochial schools in the South Florida area. South Florida schools that participate include those from Miami-Dade, Broward,
Palm Beach, Monroe, Martin, Indian River, Brevard, Collier, and Lee counties.
FIU is happy to partner with the Florida Engineering Society, the Cuban-American Association of Civil Engineers, the Institute for Electrical Engineering and Electronics, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Florida Engineering Foundation whose volunteers provide an invaluable asset to the competition’s success.
Corporate sponsors who provide monetary contributions in the form of sponsorships, and by assisting with mailings and in-kind assistance, as well as offering time off to their employees who mentor the student teams are of particular significance in their contribution to the competition. The competition appreciates the contributions from C3TS, Marlin Engineers, Bolton
Perez & Associates, Bermello Ajamil & Partners, RS&H, Bechtel, FPL, Premier Design Solutions, Hazen and Sawyer, and Milian Swain and others. We look to the engineering and construction contracting industries to provide volunteers to mentor the students, to help judge the competition, and to assist with corporate donations.
Contacts & Information
For more information, visit www.eweek.org.
Locally, and for more information on the local competition, to participate as a student, engineer, school, or corporate level, and to become a sponsor, feel free to contact
South Florida Regional Coordinator:
O. A. Mohammed, PhD, FIEEE, FACES
Energy Systems Laboratory
College of Engineering and Computing
Florida International University
Voice: 305-348-3040
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://web.eng.fiu.edu/energy/
Sayles & Winnikoff Communications:
Jennifer Buglione 212-725-5200 x112
jennifer@saylesw
Middle School Students from South Florida Region take on challenge in Annual Future City Competition Rethink Runoff and Design Clean Solutions to Manage Stormwater Pollution.
Miami, Florida Whether the result of man-made climate change or something else as yet unexplained, most people agree that extreme weather is becoming all too common. When it’s colder in May than in February, or when the season’s biggest snowstorm comes in October, you know something unusual is upon us.
One of the most potentially damaging aspects of extreme weather is radical swings in precipitation. Regions throughout the world find themselves experiencing prolonged drought, then are suddenly hit with torrential storms. When this happens, rainwater quickly turns into runoff, especially in cities, where hard surfaces—like roofs, sidewalks, and parking lots—prevent rain from soaking into the ground and leads to damaging and sometimes catastrophic flooding.
Until now, the most common response has been to channel water away from urban areas. But, as it moves, runoff carries pollutants into storm drains which empty directly into the waterways used for recreation, fishing and drinking water. Now engineers are rethinking this approach. They are beginning to imagine and design new and creative ways to manage stormwater that make city landscapes act more like natural landscapes. These innovations help reduce runoff, increase the amount of water that soaks into the ground and improve water quality.
THIRD PARTY EXPERT QUOTE
With this critical issue topping the news all across the country, National Engineers Week Foundation’s annual Future City® Competition announces the essay theme for its 2012-13 challenge:
The competition begins in earnest when South Florida middle schoolers, along with more than 35,000 students from 1,300 schools in nearly 40 regions nationally, return to school this Fall. Pre-registration is now open, giving students the opportunity to sign up early and get organized. Future City is also looking for engineering and technical professionals who may be interested in serving as mentors. For information about Future City, to register, or to volunteer, visit www.futurecity.org. The deadline to register is October 31, 2012.
South Florida regional competition culminates with the regional finals in January, 2013. The winning team from South Florida will represent South Florida at the national finals in Crystal City, VA, which take place during Engineer’s Week, in February 2013.2
Participating students use SimCity™ 4 Deluxe Edition software to design a virtual Future City model incorporating their ideas. Then they will build a physical model using recycled materials which can cost no more than $100 to build. Developed by Maxis, an Electronic Arts studio, SimCity 4 is the reigning king of city-building simulators that allows players to become mayor of their own intricately designed cities. For almost 10 years, SimCity 4 has altered the way that people view the world around them and has inspired a generation of civic leaders and city planners around the globe. Maxis is working on an all-new entry in the franchise, SimCity, is set to launch for PC in 2013.
The annual Future City challenge has received national attention and acclaim for its role in encouraging middle schoolers nationwide to develop their interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Through hands-on applications, Future City participants discover by doing how engineering is both accessible and can make a difference in the world. Sixth, seventh and eighth graders are eligible to take part in the competition.
Major funding for the national finals comes from Bentley and Shell Oil Company. Additional program funding comes from Atkins and the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation.
Greg Bentley, CEO of Bentley Systems, a sponsor of the national Future City Competition for the past 14 years, says, "This year’s challenge is particularly timely given the massive flooding that occurred early in 2012 in so many parts of the globe. Providing resilience to such devastation through the design and construction of better-performing, intelligent infrastructure is what engineers do to protect the world’s life-sustaining potable water supplies. Having these bright young students come up with similarly rigorous solutions to a problem they know to be very real is a great way to inspire them to pursue a career in engineering – so that they, too, can make a difference in the quality of life for people around the world."
"Future City has, once again, brought forth an important issue for students to address," adds Debra Stewart, Director, Supplier Diversity, Workforce Development & Diversity Outreach, Shell Oil Company. "The
Rethink Runoff project will not only allow students to utilize science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) concepts, but it will also promote critical and innovative thinking skills. We believe it is important to continually engage and encourage STEM education to help arm the future scientists and leaders with the necessary knowledge needed to help our country and global community. Shell is proud to be part of the Future City 2012-2013 competition."
"South Florida receives and average of 60-inches of rainfall a year. Sometimes we get 20-inches in a single storm. All of that water washes away pollutants on the surface of roofs, pavements, and lawns and ends up in area canals, in lakes, and in Biscayne Bay and eventually the Atlantic Ocean," according to Civil Engineer and Future City Assistant Coordinator, Rod Rodriguez, PE. "And," he adds, "we have yet to find economical, practical, and useful ways to manage all of that water; and we have just scratched the surface when it comes to cleaning stormwater runoff and of preventing it from becoming contaminated with pollutants. We look to the Engineers of the Future to solve these problems, but we have the technology, and we certainly have the brainpower to provide solutions. I know the students competing in Future City will surprise us with their ideas and solutions. As a Civil Engineer, I am really looking forward to this year’s essays."
About Future City Competition
The Annual National Engineers Week Foundation’s Future City Competition, for sixth, seventh and eighth grade students, is held from September, 2011 through February, 2012. The Future City Competition is a program of National Engineers Week Foundation (NEWF), a consortium of professional and technical societies and major U.S. corporations.
For more information on the Future City Competition, visit www.futurecity.org.
About National Engineers Week Foundation
The National Engineers Week Foundation works year-round to sustain and grow a dynamic engineering profession critical to public health, safety, and welfare. The Foundation supports engineering outreach, education, and celebration through a network of thousands of volunteers in its partner coalition of more than 100 professional societies, major corporations and government agencies. Together we meet a vital need: introducing students, parents, and educators to engineering, engaging them in hands-on engineering experiences, and making science and math relevant. The Foundation and coalition are actively putting the E in STEM.
About the South Florida Regional Competition
The local competition will be held January 19, 2013 at the Florida International University’s College of Engineering and Computing Campus on West Flagler Street, Miami. The competition is open to all 6th, 7th and 8th grade students from public, private and parochial schools in the South Florida area. South Florida schools that participate include those from Miami-Dade, Broward,
Palm Beach, Monroe, Martin, Indian River, Brevard, Collier, and Lee counties.
FIU is happy to partner with the Florida Engineering Society, the Cuban-American Association of Civil Engineers, the Institute for Electrical Engineering and Electronics, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Florida Engineering Foundation whose volunteers provide an invaluable asset to the competition’s success.
Corporate sponsors who provide monetary contributions in the form of sponsorships, and by assisting with mailings and in-kind assistance, as well as offering time off to their employees who mentor the student teams are of particular significance in their contribution to the competition. The competition appreciates the contributions from C3TS, Marlin Engineers, Bolton
Perez & Associates, Bermello Ajamil & Partners, RS&H, Bechtel, FPL, Premier Design Solutions, Hazen and Sawyer, and Milian Swain and others. We look to the engineering and construction contracting industries to provide volunteers to mentor the students, to help judge the competition, and to assist with corporate donations.
Contacts & Information
For more information, visit www.eweek.org.
Locally, and for more information on the local competition, to participate as a student, engineer, school, or corporate level, and to become a sponsor, feel free to contact
South Florida Regional Coordinator:
O. A. Mohammed, PhD, FIEEE, FACES
Energy Systems Laboratory
College of Engineering and Computing
Florida International University
Voice: 305-348-3040
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://web.eng.fiu.edu/energy/
Sayles & Winnikoff Communications:
Jennifer Buglione 212-725-5200 x112
jennifer@saylesw