Junior Solar Sprint Saturday, June 8, 2024
This exciting event will take place at Drexel University’s Quad, at 31st & Market Streets in University City, Philadelphia, PA. Pre-registration is required, please see link below.
The Junior Solar Sprint is a national program, recognized for its excellence in STEM education. In the process of building their model solar cars, students learn:
Fundamentals of solarphotovoltaics (PV), how to convert solar energy into electricity
Basic electrical circuitry and wiring
Battery storage
Physics of energy transfer: converting solar energy into motion and speed
Gear ratios, alignment, relationship of wheel size to gear ratio
Equally important, students learn a great deal about teamwork, innovation, creativity, problem solving and competition. They develop grit.
Most importantly, the Junior Solar Sprint is pure fun!
Resources for teachers & students can be found on the this website.
A workshop for teachers to learn about solar energy and specifically about how to help students build winning solar cars is available free of charge.
Contact Liz Robinson at lizhrob2@gmail.com to register for a free Teacher Training.
Curriculum for teachers to introduce students to solar energy is available also. Please contact Liz Robinson at: lizrob2@gmail.com.
Middle school students from schools across the Philadelphia area design, build and race their model solar cars. Volunteers from the Philadelphia Solar Energy Association (PSEA) and Drexel work feverishly to put on this annual high energy event.
Good sportsmanship was on full display this year as students congratulated one another, even if they didn’t win. The Junior Solar Sprint program is open to all schools, after school programs and homeschools in the Philadelphia region. PSEA provides free teacher training every year, starting in October, to instruct teachers on how to design and build model solar cars. PSEA can also provide free hand tools for the classroom, to teachers completing the training.
The program is now part of a larger SPRINTS solar education program, that includes 5th & 6th grade science curriculum written by PSEA and is available free of charge to schools. PSEA is committed to increasing the understanding and implementation of solar energy in PA, and to improving the quality of STEM education. The partnership with Drexel University brings young students directly in contact with engineers, scientists and educators who act as mentors and guides to young students, to help them explore these fields and career pathways.
For more information, contact Liz Robinson, lizhrob2@gmail.com, www.phillysolar.org.
NBC News captured some behind-the-scene action and valuable lessons-learned. Watch it here:
Junior Solar Sprint Intro and Overview (3 minutes)
Dramatic Footage - 2023 Junior Solar Sprint
Photos of 2023 Junior Solar Sprint
