Women make up more than fifty-one percent of the population but less than fifteen percent of engineers. The lack of women in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields threatens to reduce the diversity of talent that is necessary for the 21st century. The potential amount of talent lost as a result is unknown but clearly significant in magnitude. One of the ways to alleviate the shortage of women in the engineering fields is offering scholarships as an incentive to take up engineering as a major in college. 

Women Engineers and Researchers to Know 

Do you…

The annual Engineering Fest is back in person this year!  Attend the Chicago Architecture Center  'Engineering Fest' on February 22, 2022. Free for children under 14 years of age.$7.00 Fee - Public 

It's a day of discovery, as children ages 8-14 are invited to build and learn, view two floors of exhibits, meet engineers and explore how architecture and engineering partner to create the cities we know and love.

The theme for this year’s festival is “Access to Experts.” Over the course of the day, explore the multiple avenues of the engineering profession through interactive…

2022 Future City Competition

We are pleased to announce the following schools are participating in the 2022 Future City Competition in the State of Illinois~ 

Twenty-three schools are registered for this year's competition focused on the theme: A Waste-Free Future on January 22, 2022. 

We are excited about the 2022 Future City Competition competition!  Welcome, all student teams and educators who are returning for another exciting year. A special welcome to the new student teams and educators who are joining for the first time. 

The competition date is January 22, 2022 - virtual or in-person options are available this year.

This year's challenge is A Waste-Free Future. Please the three- principles of a circular economy to design a futuristic, waste-free city. 

The…

Educators | Future City Competition

The deadline is approaching to register your team for the 2022 Future City Competition - October 31, 2021. 

Don't hesitate - it's fun and exciting! 

Lead your students through a project-based learning experience, helping them tackle a relevant citywide sustainability issue as they imagine, research, brainstorm, design, and build cities of the future. Along the way, they’ll discover engineering, develop a meaningful relationship with an engineering mentor, become more aware…

Conversation And Community To Help Women Persevere And Thrive In Engineering + Tech Careers

November 10, 2021 1:00 PM - 2:00 CT 

In this episode of the Persist Series, we’ll dive into how both employees and organizations can make necessary changes to reflect their core values in lasting, sustainable ways.

What mindset or practices can be helpful for working toward your personal growth, and ability to persevere through challenges? How can centering empathy and inclusion create benefits for companies and employees? What allows for…

DiscoverE works to ensure people everywhere understand how engineers, technicians, and technologists make the world a better place. Thirty years ago, we were the first to call on the engineering community to volunteer in local schools and help young students discover engineering. Now we lead a growing volunteer and educator movement recognized worldwide.

DID YOU KNOW… 86% of educators and volunteers say that DiscoverE’s programs and  resources are essential to their ability to engage students in engineering.

Download the 2021-2021 Program Handbook…

Designing A Waste-Free City: An Overview

Imagine a city 100 years in the future that generates no waste and no pollution. Is this even possible? If we look to the natural world, the answer is yes! In nature, one organism’s waste is another organism’s food. Nutrients and energy flow in a cycle of growth, decay, and reuse. This is called a circular system.
Today’s built world works as a linear system (think of it as a straight line, rather than nature’s circle). This linear system follows a path of taking natural resources, making products, using them, and then throwing away…

Experience all the fun and excitement of the 2021 Future City® Finals Awards Celebration from April 7, 2021! Meet the top 5 teams, watch the special awards announcements, and enjoy the reveal of this season's grand-prize winner! 

Houston Region Wins Grand Prize At 29th Annual Future City® Competition

A city of the future – SIDRA-XIV – engineered by students from Al-Hadi School of Accelerative Learning in Houston, Texas –…

Congratulations to the all of the students who participated in the 2021 Future City Competition!  It was an interesting exercise this year going full virtual due to the pandemic; however, it was well-done and with great enthusiasm and collaboration by the student teams, educators, parents, mentors, judges, and volunteers.  Thank you all!

2021 Future City Competition Winners!   

1st – Novis, Wood Dale Jr. High

2nd – Lunar York, Montini Catholic School

3rd – Artemis, Queen of All Saints School

4th – Notre Luna, Alexander Graham Bell School…

High praises for all of the teams today. Going virtual with breakout rooms. Thank you to the students, teachers, educators, parents and over 100 judges who participated today. 

Wishing the student teams the very best tomorrow as they compete in the regional Future City Competition - State of Illinois. This year's theme 'Living on the Moon.' The winning team moves on to the National Competition in Washington, DC next month.

Check out the video here. https://lnkd.in/ewaqH9G

FCC- Illinois

School Team
o Alexander Graham Bell School Notre Luna & Selene City
o Lincoln Hall Middle School Luna City
o Montini Catholic School Luna York
o Queen of All Saints School Artemis
o St…

DuPage Area STEM Expo

The DuPage Area STEM Expo, in conjunction with National Engineers Week, is a specialized event designed to promote the awareness of professional and educational opportunities provided among engineering and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields.

Check out the 37th Annual DuPage Area STEM Expo hosted by Illinois Tech College of Computing! Click the Presentations Tab to find LIVE events (registration required), Recorded presentations, and Hands-on activities. Find even more Hands-on activities on the National Engineers Week tab that can…

Future City Competition

.The deadlines for the four deliverables and live Q&A event are:

• City Essay – Jan. 22, 2021
• Project Plan – February 5, 2021
• City Model Slideshow – February 8, 2021
• City Presentation Video – February 15, 2021

Plus - City Question and Answer – February 27, 2021

• The next submittal is the Project Plan (10 points) needs to be submitted by Feb. 5, in 2 weeks.
• The City Essay needed to be a maximum of 1500 words that describes the unique attributes of…

Are you a Future City team member? Astronaut Ricky Arnold has a message just for you!

NASA astronaut and fellow educator, Ricky Arnold, invites you to blast-off to new heights and design cities that can exist on the Moon. 

Check out this video from Astronaut Ricky Arnold here.

Award-Winning Future City Competition

Announces Theme for 2020-21:

Living on the Moon

29th Annual International Competition

Asks Middle School Students to Imagine a City on the Moon

At Least One-Hundred Years In the Future

CHICAGO– In 2020-21, for the first time ever, the program has been adapted to today’s virtual world and both the regional finals and the Future City Finals will take place completely…

This year, Future City is going virtual! This means that no matter how educators are teaching and teams are meeting, YOU'LL be able to do Future City and have an incredible experience. Check out this short video to find out more here. 

It's a different competition this year; however, very workable and exciting. Register now- more details here.

If you have questions, contact Don Wittmer at dwittmer@hntb.com or Deborah Hodges at…

Future City has made several adaptations due to the COVID-19 pandemic and uncertainty surrounding the school year and extracurricular activities. Bookmark this page for continued important updates throughout the program cycle!

Picture: 2020 First Place Team- Illinois Prairie Junior High

• Teams can complete the deliverables in-person (i.e. in a classroom or afterschool program) or remotely (i.e. collaborating online while learning from home). 
• The competitions (regionals and Finals) will take place online, rather than…

29th Annual International Competition

Asks Middle School Students to Imagine a City on the Moon

One-Hundred Years In the Future

Chicago— The challenges of sustained lunar living, while immense, are within our grasp to conceive of and plan for. With the tantalizing concept of permanent human life on the Moon closer than ever to becoming a reality, the award-winning Future City® Competition, now in its 29th year, announces Living on the Moon, the 2020-21 theme for its project-…