Three Area Schools Top Michigan Region Future City Competition(TM) Sponsored by DTE Energy Foundation and Ford Motor Company Fund

    SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Feb. 5 -- Several hundred middle school
students from across southeastern Michigan participated in the Michigan Region
Future City Competition(TM) held on Thursday, January 23, 2003 at Laurel Manor
in Livonia, Michigan.  DTE Energy Foundation and Ford Motor Company Fund
sponsored the program, and the Engineering Society of Detroit organized and
administered it.
    Three area schools took top honors in the competition.  St. Valentine
School in Redford placed first; Helen Keller Middle School in Royal Oak placed
second; and Grand Blanc Middle School in Grand Blanc finished third this year.
    The Michigan Regional first place team (three students, teacher, and
engineer mentor) wins an expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to represent
Michigan in the national finals during National Engineers Week, February 16-
22, 2003.  The team that places first at the national competition will receive
a trip to U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama.
    The Future City Competition(TM) is a team-based program consisting of
students, a teacher, and a practicing engineer.  Students develop their
problem solving skills, as well as their ability to work as a team.  Each team
learns how to conduct research, develop presentation skills, and how an
engineer turns ideas into reality.  Engineering mentors work with student
teams as they design and build their city.  The team members apply various
math and scientific principles to practical problems and increase their
awareness of community related issues.
    The city must display residential, commercial and industrial areas, power
plants, transportation systems, community services and communication systems.
Other issues that must be addressed are environmental controls, traffic
density, taxes and operating budgets.  The competition not only has a positive
effect on students, but to the community as a whole, as it translates
engineering activities and computer-based design tools for teachers, parents
and school administrators.  Through the various stages of competition,
participants learn how engineers develop solutions to these issues.
    Since the competition began, educators and engineering communities have
recognized it as an innovative learning program.  The White House, Congress
and national engineering and construction media have also recognized this
educational program.
    Founded in 1895, as the Association of Graduate Engineers of the
University of Michigan, the Engineering Society of Detroit has evolved into
one of the nation's oldest and largest multi-disciplinary engineering and
scientific societies of its kind.  With several thousand members throughout
the Great Lakes Region, ESD unites engineers, scientists, architects and those
in related technical fields.  The Society's programs and services are
dedicated to enhancing the profession and the community, while fostering the
growth and development of engineers and scientists for the future.
    Ford Motor Company Fund is the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company.
Ford Fund supports non-profit organizations in three priority areas --
education; community development and environment -- and continues to be
committed to providing and enhancing opportunities to the people who live and
work in the communities where Ford Motor Company does business.
    The DTE Energy Foundation continues the legacy of community involvement
and support of the former Detroit Edison and MichCon Foundations following the
merger of DTE Energy and MCN Energy.  Grant recipients are selected based upon
the Foundation's LEAD program guidelines which foster Leadership, Education,
Environment, Achievement, Development and Diversity in the DTE Energy service
territory in Michigan.