WASHINGTON (23 February 2001) – Medford (Okla.) Public School won the inaugural IEEE-USA Best Communications System Award at the national finals of the Future City Competition on Wednesday. The award, one of 16 special awards presented at the Hyatt Regency Hotel – Capitol Hill, was for the most "efficient and accurate communications system."

Medford advanced to the 21-team national finals by winning the Oklahoma regional title in Oklahoma City on Jan. 20. Team members included students Michelle Jones, 13, Paige Hagerman, 13, and Jordan Dye, 12. Dana McDonald, who teaches 7th and 8th grade math at Medford, served as the teacher sponsor. Her husband, Steve, was the team’s engineer mentor.

"It’s a nice academic achievement to add to some of the athletic achievements the school has had," Steve McDonald said of Medford, a K-12 school of about 300 students in north central Oklahoma. "We don’t often get the opportunity to recognize the smart kids, so I appreciate IEEE-USA and other groups who sponsor awards like this."

IEEE-USA President Dr. Ned Sauthoff and David Pierce, IEEE-USA chair, PACE (Professional Activities) Committee, presented each team member with a plaque. Each student also received a $100 U.S. Savings Bond.

Medford’s communications network was part of their future city, Marzopia, in the middle of Mars in the year 17,945. Communication is accomplished by thinking about what you want to say and having it transmitted from a chip embedded in your brain to one in your hand. There, a Holo-Com device picks up the signal and sends it to the person to whom you are communicating. Both users can look into their palms to view a hologram of the other person.

The wireless system impressed IEEE-USA members Dr. Ananthram Swami, Lowell Smith and Janet Hill, who served as judges Monday afternoon.

"The neat thing was they thought through how they were going to fund it -- through taxes and bonds," Smith said. "It’s fiber optic-based and satellite system-based. Individuals would wear devices that would provide holographic images and audio and video information. So, they thought through some things fairly well."

Frank D. Paulo Intermediate School 75, representing New York City, placed second. St. John Lutheran School (Michigan) was third, followed by Blendon Middle School (Ohio) and South Miami Middle School (South Florida).

The Future City Competition, which IEEE-USA introduced to National Engineers Week in 1993, is designed to encourage the future generation of engineers. Seventh and 8th grade students create their own vision of a city of tomorrow, working first on computer and then constructing three-dimensional scale models. About 30,000 students competed this past year.