Registration Now Open For 2024 Junior Solar Sprint

A competitor readies a racer for the 2023 Junior Solar Sprint competition. Registration for next year’s Sprint is now open with a deadline of Friday, Jan. 12, 2024 for entering a team in the competition set for April 18 on the campus of Delaware State University in Dover. /DNREC photo

Annual Competition Tests Students’ STEM Skills, Creativity

Registration is open for the 2024 Junior Solar Sprint, a statewide competition for students in grades five through eight to build and race solar-powered model cars in a challenge of creativity, engineering and speed.

The annual competition is co-sponsored by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s (DNREC) Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy and the Delaware Technology Student Association (TSA).

The 2024 Junior Solar Sprint competition will take place April 18 on the campus of Delaware State University in Dover.

Middle schools across the state can register up to two teams of two to four students each. Registration is free, and the Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy provides participating schools with two starter kits, each including a solar panel, motor and wheels.

“The Junior Solar Sprint provides students with the opportunity to apply real-world problem-solving in a fun and educational atmosphere,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “Every year we are amazed by the creativity of the participating teams that spend months designing and building their solar-powered vehicles.”

Interested educators should visit de.gov/solarsprint for additional information on the 2024 event, including the registration form and guidelines. The deadline to register Junior Solar Sprint teams is Friday, Jan. 12, 2024.

Schools are not required to have a TSA chapter in order to participate. Additional questions can be directed via email to JamesW.Lee@delaware.gov or by phone at 302-735-3480.

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, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Jim Lee, JamesW.Lee@delaware.gov

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Champion Crowned in 2022 Delaware Junior Solar Sprint

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.

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

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Champion Crowned in 2021 Junior Solar Sprint

Solar Sprint Winner Aarushi Nayak

Middle School Students Compete in Virtual Event

A Middletown home school student earned the title of 2021 Junior Solar Sprint champion in a virtual competition held Friday.

Each year, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control teams up with the Delaware Technology Student Association for the event. 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.

“As we continue to move toward cleaner, renewable energy sources, the competition provides students with an opportunity to demonstrate how we can meet our future energy needs,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “Seeing how your design stacks up against others from around the state is a fun and educational experience that students can learn and grow from.”

This year the competition was altered from past events in that, 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.

“Every year we are amazed by the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the students in the Junior Solar Sprint,” said Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy Director Dayna Cobb. “But this year was more impressive by the requirements for the virtual event.”

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

In addition to one homeschool team and a team of remote learners, student from Milford Central Academy, Cab Calloway, Postlethwait Middle School, HB duPont and Gauger-Cobbs participated in this year’s virtual event.

Competition Results

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

1st place: Middletown homeschool student Aarushi Nayak
2nd place: Gauger-Cobbs
3rd place: Sussex Academy

Top results from the timed run competition included:

1st place: Gauger-Cobbs
2nd place: Sussex Academy
3rd place: HB duPont

Top results from the design competition included:

1st place: Middletown homeschool student Aarushi Nayak
2nd place: Gauger-Cobbs
3rd place: Sussex Academy

Top results from the video presentation included:

1st place: Milford Central Academy
2nd place: Sussex Academy
3rd. place: Middletown homeschool student Aarushi Nayak

Top results from the portfolio competition:

1st place: Middletown homeschool student Aarushi Nayak
2nd place: Milford Central Academy
3rd place: Cab Calloway

The 2021 Virtual Junior Solar Sprint sponsors include Chesapeake Utilities, Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility and the Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation.

Visit the program web page for more information on the Junior Solar Sprint, or to watch a recording of the virtual competition.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov, Jim Lee, JamesW.Lee@delaware.gov

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Students invited to participate in 26th annual Junior Solar Sprint model car competition

(Rob Underwood of DNREC’s Division of Climate, Coastal, & Energy, left, watches as students prepare to race their solar cars at the 2018 Delaware Junior Solar Sprint. DNREC photo by Joanna Wilson.)

Registration for schools due by Jan. 10, 2020 deadline

DOVER – Delaware 5th-8th grade students are invited to build and race solar-powered model cars in a statewide challenge of creativity, engineering, and speed in the 2020 Junior Solar Sprint state competition, co-sponsored by DNREC’s Division of Climate, Coastal, & Energy and the Delaware Technology Student Association (TSA).

The event will take place on April 2, 2020 at the Delaware Technical Community College campus in Dover as part of the National Junior Solar Sprint Competition, sponsored by the U.S. Army Educational Outreach Program.

Public, private, and parochial schools, and homeschooled children in grades 5-8 across the state may register up to two teams of two to four students each. Registration is free, and the Division of Climate, Coastal, & Energy will provide each participating school with two starter kits, each including a solar panel, motor, and wheels.

Interested educators should submit a completed registration form by Jan. 10, 2020 by email to JamesW.Lee@delaware.gov or by mail to DNREC State Street Commons, 100 West Water Street, Division of Climate, Coastal, & Energy Suite 5A, Dover, DE 19904.

The registration form and rules and guidelines can be found on the Division of Climate, Coastal, & Energy‘s Junior Solar Sprint webpage, or the Delaware TSA State Conference webpage. Schools are not required to have a TSA chapter in order to participate. Additional questions can be directed via email to JamesW.Lee@delaware.gov or by phone at 302-735-3480.

For those not familiar with the event, a video of last year’s Junior Solar Sprint is posted on DNREC’s YouTube channel at 2018 Solar Sprint.

Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Delaware students experience renewable energy technology firsthand in 2018 Junior Solar Sprint model car competition sponsored by DNREC

HARRINGTON – DNREC’s Division of Energy & Climate teamed up with the Delaware Technology Student Association Thursday, April 26 to host 19 teams of middle school students from across the state for the 2018 Junior Solar Sprint solar-powered model car competition, with racers competing for top speed in time trials, as well as for awards in engineering design and creative design.

Students and educators representing 12 schools gathered in Harrington for the event, a Delaware tradition for more than 20 years in which students work with classmates and teacher advisors to build model cars powered by solar photovoltaic cells, better known as solar panels. When the Junior Solar Sprint competition came to a close, Pierre S. duPont Middle School of Wilmington was declared the all-around winner for combined speed, design, and presentation. Henry B. duPont Middle School of Hockessin came second, with Fred Fifer III Middle School of Camden third. (See additional Junior Solar Sprint results below.)

“Junior Solar Sprint challenges students to think about ways that we can meet our energy needs cleanly and securely,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin. “The best learning happens while students are having fun. They gain fond memories looking back – and career ideas looking forward.”

The Junior Solar Sprint competition is part of a national program from the U.S. Army Educational Outreach Program. It encourages students to engage in problem-solving, teamwork, and creative scientific thinking to solve environmental challenges. This year’s competition took place as one event in the Delaware Technology Student Association 2018 State Conference, which drew several hundred students to compete in various science and technology challenges.

Participating schools in this year’s Junior Solar Sprint were:

H.B. duPont Middle School, Hockessin
P.S. duPont Middle School, Wilmington
Cab Calloway School of the Arts, Wilmington
Holy Cross School, Dover
Fred Fifer III Middle School, Camden
Beacon Middle School, Lewes
Springer Middle School, Wilmington
Postlethwait Middle School, Camden
Central Middle School, Dover
Gauger-Cobbs Middle School, Newark
The Jefferson School, Georgetown
Alfred G. Waters Middle School, Middletown

Competition Results
All-around winners for combined speed, design, and presentation:

1st place: Team #18, P.S. duPont Middle School
2nd place: Team #15, H.B. duPont Middle School
3rd place: Team # 9, Fred Fifer III Middle School

Top five teams in time-trial races:

1st place: Team #18, P.S. duPont Middle School
2nd place: Team #15, H.B. duPont Middle School
3rd place: Team #4, Beacon Middle School
4th place: Team #17, Holy Cross School
5th place: Team #23, Springer Middle School

Top five teams in creative design:

1st place: Team #6, Cab Calloway School of the Arts
2nd place: Team #16, Holy Cross School
3rd place: Team #23, Springer Middle School
4th place: Team #7, Central Middle School
5th place: Team #4, Beacon Middle School

DNREC would like to thank the 2018 Junior Solar Sprint sponsors: Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility, Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation, Delaware Electric Cooperative, Chesapeake Utilities, and CMI Solar.

For more information on renewable energy programs administered by DNREC’s Division of Energy & Climate, visit dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/energy-climate/renewable/.

Media contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 48, No. 95

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