Thirty-four Iowa teams competed in Cedar Rapids; winner advances to national competition in Washington, D.C.
More than 30 teams of middle school students from across Iowa competed at Maple Grove Elementary School on Saturday (Jan. 20) in the annual Future Cities contest.
Their goal? To show how to design a 100% electrically powered city, using energy generated from sources that keep their citizens and the environment healthy and safe.
And, of course, to take home the top trophy.
- 1st place: Kota Kawah, Linn-Mar Oak Ridge
- 2nd place: Schnelle Stadt, Cedar Rapids Taft
- 3rd place: Wahatan, Waukee South
- 4th place: Kingsville, Center Point-Urbana
- 5th place: Potentia Luminaria, Innovation Initiative
Scroll down for full list of winners and photos
“Our goal at NewBoCo is to give students access to innovative and engaging STEM education,” NewBoCo Director of K–12 Education & Future City Iowa Regional Co-Coordinator Samantha Dahlby said. “I really love the enthusiasm from the middle schoolers and the creative ideas that they come up with in thi competition.”
Starting with the question, “How can we make the world a better place?” 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students imagine, research, design, and build cities of the future that showcase their solution to a citywide sustainability issue.
Throughout the fall, competitors work in teams of three students or more, along with a teacher and mentors, to bring their vision of their future city to life. During the competition, students are required to share a City Essay; tp build a physical model of their city using recycled materials; and prep a seven-minute presentation.
In the end, students from Linn-Mar Oak Ridge took first place overall on Saturday with their city “Kota Kawah.” Cedar Rapids Taft finished second, followed by Waukee South, Center Point-Urbana, and Innovation Initiative.
Linn-Mar Oak Ridge advances to the National Future City Awards competition in March.
Dahlby noted that the students who compete in Future Cities have far more to gain than just learning about engineering.
“If you’re curious about researching things, building things, being creative, working with a team, there’s a role for everyone in this competition,” she said.
Future City Iowa is made possible by the support of regional sponsors Shive Hattery, Bankers Trust, Iowa Solar Pros, ITC, and the McGrath Family of Dealerships. Special award sponsors include NCEES (National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying), Society of Women Engineers – East Central Iowa (SWE-ECI), The Curiosity Path, IEEE, PMI Education Foundation, Alliant, Benchmark, Women in Aviation, ITC Midwest, Paychex, ands Future City Iowa.,
NewBoCo serves as the coordinator for the regional Iowa Future Cities event. To learn more, visit https://newbo.co/education/k-12/future-city/
About NewBoCo K-12 Education
NewBoCo K-12 Education programs focus on encouraging creativity, fostering entrepreneurship, helping kids learn how to code, and promoting computer science.
About Future City Iowa
NewBoCo is the statewide coordinator for Future City, a national, project-based STEM learning program where students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades imagine, research, design, and build cities of the future.
FULL LIST OF WINNERS
FIRST PLACE
Kota Kawah, Linn-Mar Oak Ridge
SECOND PLACE:
Schnelle Stadt, Cedar Rapids Taft
THIRD PLACE:
Wahatan, Waukee South
FOURTH PLACE:
Kingsville, Center Point-Urbana
FIFTH PLACE:
Potentia Luminaria, Innovation Initiative
ADDITIONAL AWARDS
Best Land Surveying Practices
Taone Hiko, Innovation Initiative
Award sponsored by NCEES (National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying)
Most Diverse Infrastructure
Ciudad del Volcan, Cedar Rapids Taft
Award sponsored by Society of Women Engineers – East Central Iowa (SWE-ECI)
Creative Use of Recycled Materials
Quadtropolis, Cedar Rapids McKinley Steam Academy
Award sponsored by The Curiosity Path
Most Innovative Power Distribution/Communication System
Ghelvan, Cedar Rapids Taft
Award sponsored by IEEE
Best Future City Project Plan
Lindemegavar, Cedar Rapids Harding
Award sponsored by PMI Education Foundation
Most Innovative Use of Renewable Energy
Ville Verte, Cedar Rapids McKinley Steam Academy
Award sponsored by Alliant
Most Creative Use of Roof Space
Wahatan, Waukee South (1st place)
Award sponsored by Benchmark
Most Creative Use of Roof Space
Uila City, Waukee (2nd place)
Award sponsored by Benchmark
Innovative Transportation
Cirtcele Civitas, Belle Plaine Longfellow
Award sponsored by Women in Aviation
Robust Power Supply Excellence
Koravann, Cedar Rapids Franklin
Award sponsored by ITC Midwest
Thorough Quality of Life Considerations
Aurora, Waukee South
Award sponsored by Paychex
Best City Essay
Potentia Luminaria, Innovation Initiative
Award sponsored by Future City Iowa
Best City Model
Kota Kawah, Linn-Mar Oak Ridge
Award sponsored by Future City Iowa
Best City Presentation
Kota Kawah, Linn-Mar Oak Ridge
Award sponsored by Future City Iowa
