We are in dire need for at least 20 judges for the upcoming Alabama Regional Future City Competition.

This event is hosted annually for our group of Middle School Students, which consists of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. We expect over 100 students from all across Alabama at this event.

Needs are as follows: 6 Software Judges, 3 Essay Judges, 9 City Model Judges, and 3 Presentation Judges.

You can decide which phase of the competition you want to judge. Information on each is below:

Software Judge – You will judge about 25 submissions of a computer generated design using SimCity Software. This judging is at your leisure (on your personal computer) and it starts on November 19th and goes until December 15th. All you have to do is submit your scoring forms to the Judge’s Coordinator by the specified deadline, and do not have to be present on competition day.

Essay Judge – You will judge about 25 submissions of both an Essay (up to 1000 words) and City Narrative (up to 500 words).  This judging is at your leisure and it starts on December 20th and goes until January 5th.  All you have to do is submit your scoring forms to the Judge’s Coordinator by the specified deadline, and do not have to be present on competition day.

City Model Judge – You will judge about 25 physical city models on competition day (1/14/2012).  The judges will need to be present starting at 7:30am – 1:00pm. Lunch will be served.  All you have to do is submit your scoring forms to the Judge’s Coordinator by noon.

Presentation Judge – You will judge about 25 student presentations of their futuristic city on competition day (1/14/2012).   The judges will need to be present starting at 7:30am – 4:00pm. Lunch will be served.  All you have to do is submit your scoring forms to the Judge’s Coordinator by the specified time.

Email Sonya.Dillard@nasa.gov and let her know which category you want to judge

Announcement:

Alabama Regional Future City Competition

Saturday, January 14th, 2012

7:30am – 5:00pm

University of Alabama in Huntsville

Shelby Center Lobby Area

(The public is welcome to attend to view the students projects!)

For more information go to: www.futurecity.org

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FUTURE CITY FACTS

National Engineers Week sponsors the Future City Competition nationwide for 6th, 7th & 8th graders to foster interest in math, science and engineering through hands-on, real-world applications. The five month competition, in which students design and build models of future urban centers, encourages students to learn about engineering in a challenging and interesting way. This competition has grown to over 40 regions across the nation and may become an international program soon.

To participate, three students create a team along with a teacher and an engineer mentor (5 team members total). They use SimCity 4000, a complex simulation software application that helps them design their futuristic city. The teams are given a limited city budget of $100, land specifications, city pollution and crime requirements, the ability to tax and spend, and citizens move in or out of the city depending on their level of satisfaction. Their future cities must address issues such as pollution, crime, safety, traffic, unemployment, power consumption, taxes, commercial and residential zoning, water systems, airports and other societal dilemmas. They must also prepare an abstract of the city, an essay on an engineering topic, build a scaled-down dimensional model, and give a formal presentation before a panel of judges. Each component of the competition is judged by engineers whom have volunteered from several local companies.

This is the 20th year anniversary for the Future City Competition, and it is the 8th year the competition has hosted an Alabama Regional Competition. With the success of this year’s program, our FCC planning committee expects to gain momentum as we continue this annual event for our Alabama students.