Waukesha students advance to nationals in D.C. for Future City Competition

WAUKESHA, Wis. - A group of Waukesha STEM students are headed to Washington, D.C. this weekend for a national competition.

They’re learning in the present by thinking about the future.

What we know:

This year’s challenge for the Wisconsin Regional 2024-25 Future City Competition was to build a floating city, "Above the Current."

Competing teams researched solutions for their Future Cities to address an authentic, real-world question: How can we make the world a better place?

Local perspective:

Makena Miles can’t predict the future, but she’s doing her best to plan for it. Miles is part of a group of Waukesha STEM Academy – Saratoga Campus students participating in the future city competition.

"The goal is to basically build a city 100 years in the future," Miles said. "We learned there were a lot of people actually affected by rising climate – it’s not just a few people, it’s millions of people worldwide."

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Teams were challenged to design a scale model of a futuristic city. They could only spend $100 and had to use recycled materials.

"They still have to deal with housing, transportation, communication, entertainment – it’s everything," said science teacher Josh Hoffmann.

It helps push students to think about how we can make the world a better place.

Saratoga made it to nationals for the first time last year after placing 2nd at state. This year’s team took first at state.

"We tried to get a couple of boys on our team but they’re like, ‘no you’re girls, it’s not happening,'" student Estelle Townsend said.

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In addition to science, engineering and sustainability, the students also have to present their city to judges and write papers on them.

It all adds up to a community of competitors ready to take on the world.

"Honestly, it’s been really surreal," Townsend said. "I was not expecting to get this far."

The grand prize includes $7,500 for their school’s stem program and a trip to NASA Space Camp.

This year, 50 teams competed at the Wisconsin Regional 2024-25 Future City Competition hosted by STEM Forward on Jan. 18, 2025. The five finalists include:

• First Place: Team Nuevo Comienzo - Waukesha STEM Academy, Waukesha
• Second Place: Team West Glacia - Whitman Middle School, Wauwatosa
• Third Place: Team Acque Preziose - Golda Meir, Milwaukee Public Schools
• Fourth Place (tie): Team Terrapin Island - Mount Calvary Lutheran, Waukesha
• Fourth Place (tie): Team Isla Soleada - Longfellow Middle School, Wauwatosa

The competition in D.C. takes place Feb.16-20 as part of Engineers Week. They will compete alongside teams from 40 regions in the U.S., Canada, China and Nigeria.