Maine Energy Education Program - Creating an Energy Literate Citizenry

A treasure trove of energy activities	Maine Energy Education Program
	P.O. Box 728 Parsonsfield, ME 04047	(207) 625-7833 (207) 287-4855 meep@psouth.net
	Committed to Producing an Energy Literate Citizenry

Junior Solar Sprint
Model Solar Car Competition

Photovoltaics is not a word that most middle school students in Maine own... unless they have been involved in what has become one of the Maine Energy Education Program's most popular offerings--- the Junior Solar Sprint. An annual national competition, the Sprint challenges 6th, 7th and 8th grade students to design, build and race model cars powered by solar energy.

Solar cars get ready to zoom to the finish line!

Working in teams, students are provided with "kits" which include only a motor and a 3 volt photovoltaic (PV) panel. The chassis, wheels and transmission are made from any other materials. Within certain guidelines (for example, each car must carry a "payload" of an empty 12 ounce soda can), the design of the car is left to the imagination of the creators.

While the Junior Solar Sprint program can be undertaken without participation in races, the competitive aspect generally enhances the fun. Cars at competitions are judged on speed, technical merit, craftsmanship and innovation, providing a number of ways for students to excel.

Why become involved?

One of the neat features of the Sprint is that it encourages learning in a multitude of disciplines. The program can be introduced into schools as an extra curricular activity; as part of the physics, earth science, technical or transportation curriculum; or as a cross-curricular project. Students naturally use math and science principles together with their artistic creativity in a activity that stimulates enthusiasm for science at a crucial stage in their schooling.

Numerous Maine teachers have commented that the hand-on design and building process has often engaged those students who are not the traditional "book learners".

Interested in promoting cooperative learning in the classroom? The Sprint lends itself nicely to the teamwork approach. Ideas are conceived and carried out by drawing on the strengths of individual group members to produce the best car possible, with the understanding that there is no single correct answer: any number of solutions will work.

Finally, it is hard to imagine a better way to introduce renewable energy to students than through the Junior Solar Sprint. Watching a car that you've built yourself moving on electricity produced by sunlight brings this concept dramatically alive.

How do I
get started?

Contact the Maine Energy Education Program (see contact information). Forms for ordering kits are sent to interested folks in January, with delivery generally in March. Subsidies are offered to new schools (including homeschools). A free training workshop for teachers is offered in March, along with guide books, race rules and correlations to Maine's Learning Results.

Qualifying races are held in May, with the Maine State Finals usually occurring on the first Saturday in June at the Owls Head Transportation Museum. The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association hosts a regional championship in mid June.

Photovoltaics... watt a brilliant idea!

Useful related websites

Northeast Regional Website - www.nesea.org/education
National website with education lessons and tips on how to build a model solar car - www.nrel.gov/education/jss_hfc.html
An on-line elementary/middle school instruction set on solar energy - www.fsec.ucf.edu/ed/teachers/
Ideas for building your solar model car - www.icsd.k12.ny.us/dewitt/teched/jss.html