Montana State University offers support to middle school teams that design a fire-resistant city; applications due Sept. 7

Montana middle school educators can apply for funding and technical support from Montana State University to participate in Future City, a nationally recognized engineering and design program for students in grades 6-8. This year’s theme, “Fire Resilient Future,” asks students to design a city that can prevent, withstand and recover from urban wildfires.

In small teams and with the support of a coach and mentor, students will research, plan and design a city set 100 years in the future, then create a scale model built primarily from recycled materials, a project plan, an essay and a presentation.

As participants develop their cities, they apply the engineering design process, use math and science to solve real-world challenges, strengthen teamwork and communication skills, and gain experience managing a long-term project. The program is aligned with Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards.