As part of building effective educational pathways for energy, the DSN is currently organizing the fifth annual KidWind Challenge.
This is a regional student competition involving teacher professional development and the forming of student teams that build, test, and present wind turbine designs. The program begins with teacher training and curriculum resources. Teams then compete in the Challenge event. Last year’s event had the highest turnout so far, with 99 middle school and high school students participating in the competition.
On November 15, the teacher workshop preparing for the 2015 Challenge was conducted. A special effort was made to include teachers from the Inland Empire portion of the region. 25 teachers participated from 10 school districts throughout the region. Additional structured activities for teachers and their students, featuring a variety of technologies, are being planned in the coming year to encourage student engagement in science and engineering.
Outcomes:
Middle school and high school faculty participated in professional development that provides curriculum resources followed by structured activities to engage students in the science and engineering of an important regional clean energy technology.
