Christian Wiggins of Fred Fifer Middle School of Camden gives a thumbs up for the 2022 Junior Solar Sprint. Wiggins and teammate Priya Patel took top honors in the virtual competition Wednesday, April 27.

Middle School Students Build, Race Solar Vehicles

The team of Christian Wiggins and Priya Patel from Fred Fifer Middle School of Camden earned the title of 2022 Delaware Junior Solar Sprint champion in a virtual competition held Wednesday.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control teams up with the Delaware Technology Student Association for the event each year. Middle school students work with classmates and teacher advisors over several months to build model cars powered by solar photovoltaic cells, better known as solar panels.

“Transitioning to cleaner energy sources is a key strategy is Delaware’s Climate Action Plan,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “This competition provides students with an opportunity to demonstrate how we can accomplish our goal of reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions, all while increasing their knowledge of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Plus, it’s a lot of fun.”

For the second year, the competition was held virtually. As a result, in addition to designing their solar vehicles, students had to construct a track to competition specifications and record their best times in a video presentation that was also part of the judging.

“The Junior Solar Sprint really showcases the talents and ingenuity of each of the teams,” said DNREC Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy Director Dayna Cobb. “And even with the added requirements of the virtual format, the students once again performed well beyond expectations.”

The Junior Solar Sprint encourages students to engage in problem-solving, teamwork and creative scientific thinking to take on environmental challenges.

Students received points for project portfolios, video presentations of their work, overall design and fastest speed in a timed run. The team accumulating the most points wins and has an opportunity to represent Delaware against other students from around the country in the national TSA conference, which is being held in Dallas, Texas, in June.

Schools participating in this year’s event included Holy Cross School, Dover; Conrad Schools of Science, Wilmington; Gauger-Cobbs Middle School, Newark; Fred Fifer Middle School, Camden; Cab Calloway School of the Arts, Wilmington; and H.B. duPont Middle School, Hockessin.

Competition results:

The all-around winners for combined speed, design, video and portfolio presentations were:

• 1st place: Christian Wiggins and Priya Patel from Fred Fifer Middle School
• 2nd place: Vishal Karthikeyan, Chetan Kasukurthi, Vedic Mukherjee and Aashrith Banda from Cab Calloway School of the Arts
• 3rd place: Joshua Ford, Robert Maegerle, Eleni Demetriou and Cooper Oldham from H.B. duPont Middle School

Top results from the timed run competition included:

• 1st place: Christian Wiggins and Priya Patel from Fred Fifer Middle School
• 2nd place: Vishal Karthikeyan, Chetan Kasukurthi, Vedic Mukherjee and Aashrith Banda from Cab Calloway School of the Arts
• 3rd place: Victoria Pate, Brynn Reeves, Paityn O’Leary and Savannah Miller from Holy Cross School

Top results from the design and video competition included:

• 1st place: Christian Wiggins and Priya Patel from Fred Fifer Middle School
• 2nd place: Victoria Pate, Brynn Reeves, Paityn O’Leary and Savannah from Holy Cross School
• 3rd place: Massimo Smith, Isabella DiMondi, Samantha Worden and Sophia Preskenis from Holy Cross School

Top results from the portfolio competition included:

• 1st place: Christian Wiggins and Priya Patel from Fred Fifer Middle School
• 2nd place: Vishal Karthikeyan, Chetan Kasukurthi, Vedic Mukherjee and Aashrith Banda from Cab Calloway School of the Arts
• 3rd. place: Tushar Rameshbabu and Soumil Ghosh from Conrad Schools of Science

DNREC would also like to thank the 2022 Virtual Junior Solar Sprint sponsors: Chesapeake Utilities, Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility, Delaware Electric Co-Op and the Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation.

Visit de.gov/solarsprint for more information on the Junior Solar Sprint, or to watch a recording of the virtual competition.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy uses science, education, policy development and incentives to address Delaware’s climate, energy and coastal challenges. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov; Jim Lee, JamesW.Lee@delaware.gov

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