A Glimpse Into The Future Through a Middle-Schooler's Vision
By Chris Earl, Anchor/Reporter
Clear Creek Amana eighth graders Gabriella Scarpa (from left), Anna Johnson and Allison O'Keefe, all 13, present their model of their future city, Paxana, to judges in the Future City competition on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010, at Prairie Point Middle School in Cedar Rapids. Students were to design a city that would provide affordable living for people who lost their homes after disaster. The winning team will go to Washington, DC to compete against 38 other regions at Future City National Finals, February 13-17, 2010, during Engineers Week.
(Liz Martin/The Gazette)
By
Chris Earl
Story Created:
Jan 23, 2010 at 3:42 PM CST
Story Updated:
Jan 24, 2010 at 6:59 AM CST
CEDAR RAPIDS - Imagine looking into the future 150 years. What would the city you live in look like?
Middle-school students from across the state competed for who had the best vision on Saturday at Prairie Point Middle School for the Future City Competition as part of the National Engineers Week. Each team had to craft a project that envisioned life at least 150 years from 2010.
Elise Beer, 14, from Franklin Middle School in Cedar Rapids explained the project she worked on with classmates M.J. Kamin, 13, and Katarina Kohn, 13. "It's a floating city with nine million people in the Year 2629," Beer said, pointing out their creation, called "Kemakmuran". When asked where the restaurants were, Beer said, with a smile, "this is the industrial part."
Judges walked throughout the gym, peppering the students about teamwork as well as their engineering skills.
"The first judges came by and I was nervous," Kamin explained after getting the third-degree. "I cut off Elise but the nerves wore off."
Iowa Regional Coordinator Tom Easton said the state continues to have enough teams participating for its own regional. Easton said the students have to know much more than just building and planning.
"Public speaking doesn't hurt," Easton said. "Thinking on your feet is important, too."
Madison Miller, 13, of Harding Middle School flourished on the public speaking end of it. With her city, called "Transportation", Miller was a natural at showing off her team's creation and being very convincing to the trained ear.
"It purifies the air of the vehicles in motion," Miller said, pointing to how her team worked on a theme of clean air. Once her pitch was complete, Miller said the project was very stressful but "it was fun".
The various teams did stick out with their own themes and titles. Team "Paxana", made up of three girls from Clear Creek-Amana Middle School, opted for white dress shirts with black neckties featuring the peace logo. They said the long hours did not take too much of a toll on their friendship.
"I like the unique designs of the buildings and using natural things incorporated into everything," said Allison O'Keefe, 13. O'Keefe and Anna Johnson, 13, and Gabrielle Scarpe, 13, worked to create "Paxana", a future city in Western Nevada that is far from a vast desert.
"We have excellent educations and grow crops on tops of buildings," said Johnson about "Paxana" as she pressed a button to rotate a circular apartment building. "That's so you can see all edges of it."
All of their details paid off as "Team Paxana" captured first place and will move to the national tournament in Washington D.C. in February. For the eventual national champion, a trip to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama is the final prize.
Interest in engineering may be genetic for some of these students. Miller said her grandfather and father each had a background in electrical engineering. Other students, in their quest for the state prize, summed up their appreciation as only a teenager could. No homework.
"We don't have to do any worksheets in class," said Austin Gallagher, 13, of Bondurant. "I like that part."
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