High school students from around the country crossed the starting line today in the 12th annual Dell-Winston School Solar Car Challenge, a 2,020-mile road race in hand-built, solar-powered cars.
The nine participating teams began preparing more than a year ago, engineering their cars from the ground up to weather the nine-day, eight-state course. Cars must wind their way through Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Ohio and Pennsylvania before reaching the finish line in Newburgh, New York.
"The [race] helps students become more aware of the environment and the world around them. Groundbreaking ideas generated by innovative minds pay enormous dividends which include growing our economy, reducing pollution, increasing energy efficiency and improving the lives of future generations," George Gray of the EPA said.
As the title sponsor since 2001, Dell's participation reflects the importance of students developing 21st century skills. The program teaches students how to build and safely race roadworthy solar cars and gives them research, critical thinking and teamwork skills. Teams use laptop computers with wireless technology to design and engineer their solar cars for the race. During the race, they use them to gauge solar car battery usage, monitor weather patterns, track competitors via global positioning systems and upload daily statistics to the race website to help judges, parents and fans track team progress.
"This race gives young thinkers the opportunity to understand firsthand the power of being part of the Re-Generation, this global community of people of all ages who want to improve and sustain the earth we share," said Karen Bruett, Dell's director of K-12 business development. "United by a commitment to their education and the planet and armed with 21st Century skills like teamwork, problem solving, math and science, these students hold the keys to the future."
