SOUTHFIELD – The Engineering Society of Detroit will host the Future City Michigan Regional Finals Tuesday, Jan. 29 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Suburban Collection Showplace, 46100 Grand River Ave. in Novi.
The competition features futuristic designs of cities set at least 150 years in the future, with all work done by middle school students in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. The theme of the competition changes every year. This year’s theme, “Powering The Future,” will see the students design innovative power grids that can withstand and quickly recover from natural disaster.
Twenty-six teams from Michigan have created their Future City models as a large tabletop display. The students must use recycled materials in their displays, and are limited to a budget of $100. They also give presentations on their cities to volunteer judges from the engineering and related technical professions.
The Michigan Regional Finals winner receives an all-expenses-paid trip to compete in the national Future City Finals, held in Washington, D.C. Feb. 19-21, during National Engineers Week.
Future City’s aim is to get middle school students to see how engineering has a direct impact on their lives. A total of more than 40,000 students in 1,500 schools nationwide participate in Future City.