More than 30 teams Compete in Junior Solar Sprint/EV Challenge Final Events despite Rainy Weather
More than 30 teams from various North Carolina Middle Schools competed in the 2006 Junior Solar Sprint (JSS) Final Event, though the competition was once again moved indoors due to bad weather.
The Solar Center hosted the JSS competition and the EV Challenge race April 8 at NC State University’s McKimmon Center with great success, despite the clouds and rain that drove the event inside. The 11 EV Challenge teams of high school students ran their converted electric cars around the parking lot, while the 32 JSS middle school teams raced their model cars - designed with solar panels, but able to use batteries - inside.
Added to the EV Challenge in 2000, the JSS program challenges middle school students to build photovoltaic (PV) powered model cars that are judged on creativity, design and speed. JSS has grown to include 14 middle schools throughout the state of North Carolina, providing the students with a solid foundation in sustainability energy content that they will need to progress to the advanced EV Challenge program at the high school level.
Each student team is provided a standard photovoltaic (PV) panel and an electric motor to build a car using the items as the sole power train. The car must also carry a 12-ounce soft drink can as cargo. Students are challenged to design an efficient drive system, an aerodynamic exterior, and an adjustable PV mount that allows it to face the sun and collect the maximum amount of energy.
“The Junior Solar Sprint experience is an excellent opportunity for students to develop problem-solving and team building skills, as well as stimulating creativity and increasing awareness of alternative energy sources,” said Penny Ledbetter of North Iredell Middle School, represented by 11 teams and more than 30 students. “They were thrilled with their experiences and I can see a difference in students in class efforts because of the success they felt with this learning experience.”
Tyro Middle School ’s Brenda McGuinn agreed. “My students learned about taking a project from the designing stage to the finished project,” McGuinn said. “The troubleshooting was most interesting. They were working on the cars on the bus and all day long, trying to squeeze out a little more speed.”
The 2006 Junior Solar Sprint winners are as follows:
Creativity
(based on the extra effort to add style and appeal to their cars)
1 st place: Slow but Steady – Chaloner Middle School
2 nd place: Carolina Tar Heels – North Iredell Middle School
3 rd place: HRHS – Chaloner Middle School
4 th place: Shadow X – Tyro Middle School
Honorable Mention: Tyro Team 5 – Tyro Middle School
Technical Merit
(based on the design of the drive train, adjustable solar panel mount and aerodynamics)
1 st place: Moco Majos – North Iredell Middle School
2 nd place: Data Chasers – Tyro Middle School
3 rd place: Red – North Iredell Middle School
4 th place: Rockim Sockim Riders – Martin Middle School
Honorable Mention: Caddy Drivers – Chaloner Middle School
Speed
(based on head to head racing through preliminary, semi-final, and final heat races)
1 st place: Beamers – Martin Middle School
2 nd place: Red – North Iredell Middle School
3 rd place: Draggers – Chaloner Middle School
4 th place: The Dukes – North Iredell Middle School
The middle school JSS competition is offered through the EV Challenge, the country's premier alternative fuel education program, sponsored by the Carolina Electric Vehicle Coalition, Inc. (CEVC). CEVC's mission is to provide educational programs related to clean, alternative fuel technologies, with an emphasis on reaching middle and high school students. The EV Challenge is funded primarily through the State Energy Office, a division of the NC Department of Administration.