CONGRATULATIONS TO DAVIDSON IB MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR WINNING THE 18th Annual National Engineers Week Future City Competition^tm in Washington, D.C.!!! Overview Future City Competition serves students in 7th and 8th grade. Sponsored by National Engineers Week, this national program introduces students to engineering with the popular SimCity 4 Deluxe™ software. Students design future cities with simulation software, build scale models, write essays and give oral reports on their city's design.  “Students that participate in the Future City Competition gain not only invaluable mathematical, technical, writing, and presentation skills; they gain skills applicable to real life,” said Chris Kreider, North Carolina Regional Co-Coordinator.  “We encourage all middle schools across North Carolina to compete in the competition.” North Carolina Regional Information The North Carolina Regional Competition process has begun and we are looking for volunteers to help mentor, judge and sponsor the event. The competition is occurring in thirty-nine cities across the nation and provides the students with an exciting hands-on way to learn engineering, math and science with a personal, real world connection. The North Carolina Regional Future City Competition was held on Saturday, January 23, 2010 at the North Carolina State University Talley Student Center in Raleigh. This year’s event had 10 teams participating from across North Carolina. The winning schools were as follows: 1st Place- Davidson IB Middle School (Davidson) Teacher: Jay Hager Student Presenters: Luke Churchill, Ruth Swallow, Emily Yue Mentor: Dane Horna, P.E. – S&ME Future City Name: “Mamohatra” Click here for Pics of their trip to Washington, DC!! 2nd Place- West Pine Middle School (West End) Teacher: Barbara Levin Student Presenters: Mentor: Future City Name: “Grunstadt” 3rd Place- Lumberton Junior High (Lumberton) Teacher: Phyllis King Student Presenters: Juan Hernandez, Jonathan Maudling, Toni-kae Stephens Mentor: Alan Matula Future City Name: “Congenialopolis” 4th Place- Ligon GT Magnet Middle School (Raleigh) Teacher: Beth Lengefeld Student Presenters: Future City Name: “Inochi” In Addition to overall awards, there were several winners in specific categories: Best Use of Energy – West Pine Middle School “Luogo” Best Transportation System – West Pine Middle School “Grundstadt” Best Use of Water Resources – Northridge Middle School Best Physical Model – Lumberton Junior High Best Computer City Design – Davidson IB Middle School “Mamohatra” Best Essay/Abstract – Davidson IB Middle School “Mamohatra” Best Oral Presentation – Davidson IB Middle School “Tokaiao” Best Use of Building Materials – Ligon GT Magnet Middle School Cash prizes were awarded amounting to over $5,000. The first place school, Davidson IB Middle School, won $1,000, will attend a week-long NC State Engineering summer camp and represent the NC region at the Future City National Finals in Washington, D.C., February 13-17, 2010 during the 18th Annual National Engineers Week Future City Competition^tm. Future City is an engineering competition that challenges over 33,000 students from more than 1,100 schools in 39 regions nationwide to consider how to revitalize America's cities. Lead sponsor for the North Carolina Future City Competition is Shell.  Generous support has also been provided by Professional Engineers of North Carolina (PENC) – Education Foundation, Glaxo Smith Kline, American Council of Engineering Companies of North Carolina, American Society of Civil Engineers- North Carolina Section, North Carolina State University College of Engineering, AECOM, Martin Marietta Materials, Moffatt & Nichol, Kleinfelder and Progress Energy.

Benefits For Students Students better understand practical applications of math, science, social studies and computer learning as they plan their own cities They have fun working with SimCity 4 Deluxe™ software (provided free to registered schools) Teams work with engineer mentors assigned to support their learning. While learning about cities, students work as a team develop a project plan, write an essay about their city, develop a scale model with recycled materials, and make an oral presentation of their work at a regional competition The winning team receives a free trip to represent the North Carolina Region at National Competition in Washington, D.C. Testimonials "There's science, math, public speaking, civics and history, working as a team and building consensus. And, for most of these students, it's their very first brush with a profession of which they have very little knowledge. Add to that the opportunity to advance real world solutions to real world problems and these young minds soar." Carol Rieg,Future City National Director ”For many students, the Future City Competition was the first time they worked together to tackle a challenging project as a team. The dynamic nature of this competition helps the students develop and implement their mathematical, technical, writing, and verbal presentation skills. We encourage even more regional middle schools to compete in the competition next year.” David Simpson, North Carolina Regional Coordinator