This special National Engineers Week event, targeted at Middle/Jr. High School students, was held at the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center on February 12, 2002. The event featured a lab tour, a forum, an award ceremony, and refreshments.

During the forum, each team of students displayed a real or virtual model of its school facility (building and grounds) of the future, along with a poster display explaining the features of the school. A team of judges interviewed each team and selected the top three teams. Each student and the coach/mentor on these top teams received a Palm Pilot. Every participant received a memento from IBM, an IBM logo robot calculator. One may think of this forum as an "engineering fair," analogous to the more common "science fair" that many schools hold for their students.

The School

The school plays a very important role in the life of a student. A typical student (and a typical teacher) spends approximately 1500 hours/year at school. This time ought to be as productive as possible for both learning (and teaching), as well as for non-academic activities such as lunch and other meal provisions, sports and other recreation, after-school clubs, music and arts, guidance, medical care, and administration. Furthermore, the school facility itself should be safe and accessible, comfortable and convenient, and environmentally friendly.

More on School Facilities and
Rules of the Design Challenge

Top three teams selected by judges

• Garrison School, Garrison
• Louis M. Klein MS, Harrison
• Anne M. Dorner MS, Ossining

Other participating schools

• St. Ann's School, Ossining
• Port Chester MS, Port Chester
• John Jay MS, Katonah
• Pelham MS, Pelham
• Pierre van Cortlandt MS, Croton
• Mildred E. Strang MS, Yorktown
• Briarcliff MS, Briarcliff Manor
• Copper Beech MS, Lakeland
• Emerson MS, Yonkers
• Robert Bell MS, Chappaqua