NewBoCo, a nonprofit headquartered in Cedar Rapids offering entrepreneurship and tech education programming, recently announced a partnership with Iowa State University for the Future City event. The event is a STEM competition for middle school students to research, design and build future cities that showcase their solution to a citywide sustainability issue. The Future City Regional Competition will be held at ISU on Jan. 17, 2026. Throughout the fall, teams of at least three students, an educator and a volunteer mentor will work on their solutions, using the Engineering Design Process and project management skills. Teams must produce a city essay that describes the unique attributes of their city and their solution to the annual challenge, a physical model of their city built using recycled materials, a presentation about their city and solution and a project plan. Teams should be registered online by the end of October. To register, click here.
