Greenspeed Research Inc

Programs: The solar go-kart challenge provided high school students with a hands-on stem learning opportunity. Students were provided gasoline powered go-kart and the parts necessary to convert them 100% to solar power. Students worked in teams, learning new skills, including how to transfer their existing knowledge to a real life project. The culmination of this project was a competition on the boise state university campus. Half of the competition was students giving a design presentation to a panel of judges, consisting of stem professionals (practicing engineers and professors). In this presentation, the students explained what new skills they learned (teamwork, how to fail, how to recover from failing, etc. )

greenspeed continues to have interns engaging at the shop. They focused on many different aspects of our organization. Some worked on designing a system to grow algae-based biofuel; some directed their time towards equipment and data acquisition methods for land speed truck; and others helped with details of the solar go-kart challenge. All of these activites required taking on a large goal, breaking down objectives and tasks, and completing those tasks over a longer time period than can be experienced in a typical classroom setting. Opportunities like this remove the formulaic small book problem and present a real world project based upon experience that takes not hours, but months, to complete. Interns are taken through the entire process, not just a small portion of the project, to obtain a better understanding of completing a large project just as they will working for an engineering firm or in another stem career.

greenspeed research provides learning opportunities for all ages by building and showing renewable energy powered vehicles. It puts these technology demonstartors in front of a large audience for the opportunity to show how powerful and viable renewable energy really is, and force public discussion regarding its possibilities. These exciting demonstrations are not only 'vehicles' to showcase renewable energy, but also to serve as the canvas for engaging young people in stem. These vehicles are designed and built from the ground-up; and stem and 21st century learning opportunities lie within every corner of the vehicle and its design. Both simple and complex solutions are an integral part of making one of these vehicles; and they provide students hands-on experience in connecting classroom learning with real world projects. Those involved are so much better prepared for the future with practical experience under their belts before they even graduate from high school.