Future City comes to life when team meets an astronaut!
Dylan Goings, Lucas Norman, and their teacher Dee Vayda joined the Future City Competition in 1996 when the theme focused on manufacturing zones. “I saw a flyer at school and showed the kids and they were game for it, so we joined the competition,” said Dee.
Before they competed in their regional competition, the team presented to former astronaut Jack Lousma, who lived in Ann Arbor. “We did a trial presentation on our city, which was in space. I remember him asking about where we stored water in our city and he was impressed at our response. It was really cool to be quizzed by a real astronaut about a city in space,” said Dylan. The team won the regional competition in Michigan and National Finals.
Their teacher Dee, comments “Future City allows kids to be creative and shows them there is not just one right way to solve a problem. This is the best way to teach students in my opinion.”
Lucas graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from Eastern Michigan and Dylan is now a software engineer. “Before the Future City Competition, I was an introverted person. This competition helped me gain skills and confidence that has stayed with me through all of these years,” said Lucas.
