Cedar Drive School, Colts Neck, Wins Future N.J. City Competition, will Compete for National Honors in February

NEW BRUNSWICK/PISCATAWAY, N.J. - In a competition held Saturday at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, a team of middle school students from Cedar Drive School of Colts Neck Township earned statewide honors for designing an imaginative, socially responsive and environmentally friendly city of the future.

Cedar Drive School's winning entry was one of 60 from 17 New Jersey middle schools participating in the Future City Competition, a program that introduces middle schoolers to engineering career opportunities. The winning team will take its entry Feb. 21 to Washington, D.C., during National Engineers Week, to compete against 31 other state or regional winners in the Future City national finals.

Throughout the fall semester, student teams created their futuristic city concepts using computer simulation software, then built tabletop models that include moving components and recycled materials. The teams submitted essays and computer simulation reports in advance of the competition to a judging panel of academic and industrial engineers, then displayed their models and gave talks at Saturday's event. The experience shows students how teamwork, cooperation and communication are as critical to engineering as math and science skills.

"Engineering is an exciting field with abundant career opportunities, yet teachers often find it hard to tell middle schoolers exactly what engineers do and why they're important," said Stanley Dunn, professor of biomedical engineering and coordinator of the state competition. "The city design challenge, however, engages these young children with popular computer simulation games and guides them to see how engineers work and make positive changes to our society."

Cedar Drive School's winning entry, called "Lucky #7," was created by students Julie Barnett, Nicolette Iorio and Grace Paras, with leadership from teacher Suzanne Cooper and engineer mentor Robert Feldman of Lucent Technologies in Holmdel.

Placing second in the competition was a team from F. M. Gaudineer Middle School of Springfield, with an entry titled "Gente de la Tierra," by students Amy Batallones, Dana Feldman, Billy Kirk and Matt Shanes, with leadership from teacher Theresa Craddock-Ponce and engineer mentor Clark Beebe.

Placing third was a team from Pioneer Academy of Science in Clifton, with an entry titled "Navi Arcis," by students Akif Mehmet Bayram, Eza Koch and Julian Rivera, with leadership from teacher Mucahit Polat and engineer mentor Yucel Ari.

Placing fourth was a team from Thomas Jefferson Middle School of Rockaway Borough, with an entry titled "Ugokika," by students Tim Coulther, Patrick Jozwiak, and Ankit Patel, with leadership from teacher Mary Margaret Byram.

Other participating schools were:

William Annin Middle School, Basking Ridge
Woodglen, Califon
Washington School, Carlstadt
Memorial Middle School, Cedar Grove
Clifton T. Barkalow Middle School, Freehold
Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School, Freehold
Grace M. Breckwedel School, Jamesburg
St. Joseph School, Keyport
Round Valley Middle School, Lebanon
Northfield Community Middle School, Northfield
Maple Place Middle School, Oceanport
Forrestdale School, Rumson
Memorial Junior High School, Willingboro

Contact: Carl Blesch
732/932-7084, ext. 616
E-mail: cblesch@ur.rutgers.edu