The 8th grade team named their city Calamazoo, and their essay focused on curing Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever, a disease that originated in Africa. The team members were Abbi Montgomery, Sarah Hinson, and Kirsten Krier. Their model contained several moving parts including wind turbines and pod cars. The Calamazoo City won two special awards during preliminary judging:
· Environmental Award—Sponsored by the Illinois Section ASCE-Environmental Engineering & Water Resources Group
· Excellence in Transportation, Safety, and Operations—Sponsored by the Institute of Transportation Engineers Illinois Section
The 7th grade team named their city Saludable, which means “healthy” in Spanish. Their city was nestled in Venezuela, and their essay focused on curing Huntington’s disease, which is predominant in Venezuela. Their model contained several moving parts including a Ferris Wheel, waterfall, helicopter, and wind turbines. The Saludable City also won two special awards during preliminary judging:
· Best Future City Promotion—Sponsored by The Society for Marketing Professional Services
· Most Inclusive Community Promoting Work-Life Balance—Sponsored by The Chicago Regional Section of the Society of Women Engineers
Both teams scored in the top five, but only one team per district is allowed to present in the final round; Saludable was chosen to present in the final round on stage. During the Saludable presentation, Doctor Shayla Hinson explained the Saludable health care system to her intern, Sydney Stahlman. They then both visited their first patient, Mikaela Drewel, who was being treated for Huntington’s disease. Since Huntington’s disease patients often suffer memory loss, the doctor and intern described their healthy city to Mikaela as she began to remember all the great things about her city.