Dover – Delaware middle school students are encouraged to test their model car engineering skills and power up their solar panels for the 23rd annual Junior Solar Sprint race – a statewide challenge of creativity, engineering and speed that will culminate Thursday, April 27 with a day of racing at the Delaware State Fairgrounds in Harrington. Co-sponsored by DNREC’s Division of Energy & Climate and the Delaware Student Technology Association (TSA), the state’s Junior Solar Sprint competition is part of the National Junior Solar Sprint program sponsored by the U.S. Army Educational Outreach Program.
The deadline for team registration is Friday, Feb. 10. Delaware middle schools – 5th through 8th grade students – are invited to register one or two teams for the Junior Solar Sprint race, with two to four students on each team. The Division of Energy & Climate will provide each participating team with a materials kit including wheels, a motor and a solar panel that converts the sun’s energy into electric power. Over several weeks, team members use these standard materials to design and build their own unique cars. Awards will be presented for the fastest time, as well as for design creativity.
“Junior Solar Sprint presents a hands-on, multidisciplinary exercise in renewable energy education that encourages teamwork and fosters student interest in STEM fields – science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” said Energy Program Administrator Rob Underwood, Division of Energy & Climate. “Junior Solar Sprint has been a Delaware tradition for more than 20 years, allowing students to flex their creative ingenuity and apply real-world problem solving in a fun and educational atmosphere.”
Full rules, guidelines and registration forms can be found on the Division of Energy & Climate’s renewable energy webpage, or the Delaware TSA State Conference webpage. Schools are not required to have a TSA chapter in order to participate. Interested educators can send their registration forms by email to [email protected] or by U.S. mail to: DNREC Division of Energy & Climate, 100 West Water Street, Suite 5A, Dover, DE 19904. For more information, email or call Caren Fitzgerald at 302-735-3480.
Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902
Source: DNREC
Image Credits: US Army