The EnergyWhiz Olympics, sponsored by the University of Central Florida, featured the Hydrogen Sprint this past weekend to help high school students learn about alternative energy vehicles. Students were asked to design and built hydrogen fuel cell cars and then race them head-to-head.
The Hydrogen Sprint is designed to expose students to the potential of hydrogen as an alternative fuel source in the future. The high school students were also required to give a 10-minute speech on what they had learned about hydrogen by engaging in this competition.
Meanwhile, middle school students competed in the Hands-On-Hydrogen challenge. This challenge was part of the Department of Energy’s regional National Science Bowl competition, where students were also required to design, build and then race their hydrogen cars for top honors.
One of the winning teams, Miami’s Archimedean Middle Conservatory, will go onto compete in the National Middle School Science Bowl’s Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car Challenge in Golden Colorado on June 19 – 22, 2008. The Archimedean team is made up entirely of sixth graders, the first time this has happened in the competition.
Competitions such as these give students exposure to hydrogen technology. By the time many of these students enter the workforce, they will be able to dive right into the field of alternative fuel vehicles and in particular hydrogen cars. Early education is the key to the clean, green jobs of tomorrow.