SOUTHFIELD – The Engineering Society of Detroit announced on Thursday that it had received a $95,000 in grants from The Skillman Foundation and the DTE Energy Foundation to support the Future City Competition program.
The Future City Competition is a national program that brings middle school students together to design, build and present a city of the future?complete with roads, sewers, water, transportation, businesses, power plants, residential and schools. It is a team based program made up of students, a teacher and practicing engineer mentor. The students learn how to conduct research, develop problem-solving skills and make decisions as a group. This program gives students the opportunity to apply the knowledge they learn to real world situations, while seeing first-hand how engineers turn ideas into reality.
ESD has been coordinating the Michigan regional competition since 1994.The winning team from the regional competition goes on to Washington D.C. to compete in the national program in conjunction with National Engineers Week.
The Skillman Foundation is a resource for improving the lives of children in metropolitan Detroit. The Foundation applies its resources to foster positive relationships between children and adults, support high quality learning opportunities and strengthen healthy, safe and supportive homes and communities. The Foundation was founded in December 1960 by Rose P. Skillman, widow of Robert H. Skillman, vice president and director of Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, and has an annual grant making budget of $22 million.
The DTE Energy Foundation is dedicated to supporting programs that strengthen the fabric of our communities by developing the potential of their residents, institutions and infrastructure. The Foundation?s charitable donations are focused in the areas of leadership, education and the environment, achievement and development and diversity.
Founded in 1895, ESD is a multi-disciplinary society uniting the engineering, scientific and allied professions to enhance professional development and foster excitement in math and science to produce the next generation of leaders.
