Jackson EMC : Your Community : Youth & Education : Junior Solar Sprint

Having Fun with the Sun

: As participants in Jackson EMC's Annual Junior Solar Sprint Competition. Banks County Middle School won 1st Place in the Speed/Performance category for the second year in a row.

Junior Solar Sprint (JSS) is a classroom based, hands-on, disciplinary program designed to teach principles of energy and science in an atmosphere that is fun and exciting for 6th, 7th and 8th grade students. All participants build small, solar-powered model cars using identical solar panels and motors. The chassis, wheels and transmission are made from any other materials. Students are encouraged to use math and science principles, together with their creativity, as a means of stimulating interest in technology and incorporating these principles in their education, daily practices and career plans.

Each Junior Solar Sprint team was required to design and build a model car no larger than 30 cm x 60 cm x 30 cm (the size similar to a model car kit). The cars had to be powered by sunlight using a solar photovoltaic cell that converts the sun's energy into electricity. Although the cell and a motor were provided, students had to consider such critical factors as aerodynamic drag, rolling resistance, weight and drive train when they designed their cars for speed, design and reliability.

The 2010 Junior Solar Sprint Award Winners

: From left to right: Dustin Hulsey, Nick Thomas and Jeremiah Elrod, Banks County Middle School Winners for Speed/Performance, along with Timmy Hutson, PR/Media rep with Lanier Speedway.

Our annual JSS competition was held at Lanier National Speedway. The middle schools that were selected to participate in the Junior Solar Sprint program included: East Jackson; Kings Bridge, Jackson County; North Hall; West Hall; Chestatee, Hall County; Madison County; Banks County; Sweetwater, Gwinnett County; Richard Hull, Gwinnett County; Creekland, Gwinnett County; Dacula, Gwinnett County; and Winder Barrow.

The competition between the schools was based on two categories, design and speed/performance. In the design category: 1st Place went to North Hall Middle School, 2nd Place-Kings Bridge Middle School, and 3rd Place–Banks County Middle School. In the speed/performance category the winners were: 1st Place–Banks County Middle School; 2nd Place–Chestatee Middle School, Hall County; and 3rd Place–West Hall Middle School, Hall County.

With this project, youth experimented with scientific and social principles as they learned about vehicle design, energy usage and environmental impacts. In this fun and exciting program, they were making decisions that may shape tomorrow’s transportation system. "Our goal was to increase renewable energy knowledge by using science know-how, creative thinking and experimentation within the schools, thereby encouraging students to pursue careers in the fields of science, math and engineering," says Kay Parks, community relations representative.

The over-all JSS program was developed by Green Power EMC and is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Midwest Research Institute (MRI), Battelle and Bechtel, managed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and endorsed by the National Science Teachers Association. Along with Jackson EMC, this JSS competition was sponsored in part by Hannah Solar, Southern View Energy, Green Power EMC and Lanier National Speedway.

Area schools will begin competing annually in the Jackson EMC Junior Solar Sprint competition with the next event planned for Spring 2011.