Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Learning And Stem topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Odessa middle school students present 'New Seattle' floating city at board meeting
Summary
Middle school students from Odessa R‑VII presented their Future City competition project, 'New Seattle,' describing design features including a rotating city center, photovoltaic glass, aquaculture modules and self‑healing concrete; the team traveled to Topeka for competition and kept the model under a $100 budget.
A team of Odessa R‑VII students showcased the Future City STEM project “New Seattle” during the board’s communications and reports segment, describing design choices, technical tradeoffs and the student research and presentation experience.
Teachers and four students — identified in the meeting as Carly, Grace, Elena and Adam — explained that Future City requires teams to research, plan, design, build and present a city 100 years in the future that addresses a yearly challenge. This year the challenge focused on receding coastlines; the students’ solution was a floating city with at least two innovative systems and a moving part. The students said the model’s rotating center distributes sunlight and provides a communal hub, and an under‑platform water wheel supplies hydroelectric power for the central hub.
Students described several technical features: photovoltaic glass intended to transmit visible light while converting UV/IR energy, aquaculture chambers attached to residential platforms for food production powered by solar energy, and use of a bacterial “self‑healing” concrete to reduce maintenance costs. Presenters said the project budget was kept under $100 using recyclable materials and that judges at the state competition in Topeka were largely engineers who offered feedback and scholarship information. The team said about 39 teams competed and that the moving part presented the biggest design challenge within the budget limit.
Teachers said the project provided authentic, real‑world learning and encouraged more students to participate next year; administrators noted the experience connected students with engineers and potential scholarship opportunities. The board and meeting attendees applauded the presentation.
