Designing affordable housing for those most in need is enormously complicated. But how to do it while adhering to LEED recognized green building standards, with an emphasis on energy efficiency and a low carbon footprint?

That’s the challenge for Central Pennsylvania's middle schoolers as they prepare to take part in National Engineers Week Foundation’s 2009-10 Future City Competition. Registration deadline for schools nationwide is October 31.

Now entering its 18th year, Future City Competition invites seventh and eighth graders nationwide to create the cities of tomorrow and encourages interest in science, technology, engineering and math through hands-on applications.

“Future City motivates students to learn more about the possibilities and opportunities for careers in engineering,” said Leslie Collins, Executive Director, National Engineers Week Foundation. “As they participate in the competition, they realize that engineering is exciting and creative and that they can use what they know to make a difference in the world. Helping young people discover what the field has to offer is a critical step in insuring that the engineering profession continues to grow in the years ahead.”

Themed Providing An Affordable Living Space For People Who Have Lost Their Home Due to a Disaster or Financial Emergency, this year’s Future City Competition will attract more than 33,000 students from 1,100 middle schools in regions located across the country.

Central Pennsylvania is one of nearly 40 regions taking part in this year’s competition. Participating students are asked to design a model of their city using SimCity 4 Deluxe software, provided by Electronic Arts, and then build a physical model of the city using recycled materials. They will also write a research essay describing their design and a second narrative outlining the key features of their city.

The Central Pennsylvania regional competition gets underway with the new school year in the fall and culminates with the regional finals, taking place at The Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts in Harrisburg, Pa on January.

One winning team from Central Pennsylvania will qualify for a trip to the national finals in Washington DC, which take place during Engineer’s Week, February 15-17, 2010.

The National Finals Grand Prize winners receive a trip to U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, provided by National Finals host Bentley Systems, Incorporated. The second and third prize winners receive $5,000 and $2,000 scholarships for their schools’ technology programs.

“We are excited to be underway with our fourth year of competition here in Central Pa. It was exciting to see Warwick Middle School attend nationals last year and compete at a high level. They did an outstanding job. Every year we see more and more schools competing and getting a ton out of the competition. When we started the program in 2005, this is what we set out to do and it’s great to see that it is all coming together and having a significant impact on the region and the students. Bentley Systems and Gannett Fleming, two strong supporters of the program, have helped propel our program even further then we had ever hoped in our first few years. We are especially excited about this year’s competition because of its topic, sustainability. This is such a critical issue for children to learn about and focus on for the rest of their lives. We are planting seeds that will continue to grow for years to come,” said Regional Coordinator William Sutton.

Future City is also looking for professional engineers who may be interested in serving as mentors.

For information, school registration, or to volunteer, visit the Future City Competition website or contact Central Pennsylvania Regional Coordinator Bill Sutton at 717-319-3409 or send email to: wsutton@futurecity.org.