Folsom students powered their way to the top of a regional renewable energy competition Friday, capturing both first and second place during SMUD’s KidWind Challenge Jr.
Teams from Folsom Education Academy took home the competition’s first- and second-place honors as more than 130 middle school students from across the Sacramento region gathered to put their engineering and problem-solving skills to the test.
Aroche finished third in the competition, while presentation awards went to Sacramento Country Day and Brilliant Beginnings.
The competition, presented by SMUD in partnership with KidWind, took place Friday, Sept. 11, at the Aerospace Museum of California in McClellan and challenged students to design, build and test their own small wind turbines.
Throughout the day, teams were given tools and materials to develop one-of-a-kind turbine designs before putting their creations to the test inside a wind tunnel. The challenge gave students an opportunity to see firsthand how their engineering decisions affected the performance of their turbines.
For Folsom Education Academy, the results meant a one-two finish against student teams from across the region, with its entries claiming the top two positions when the competition concluded.
The KidWind Challenge Jr. was designed as a hands-on science, technology, engineering and math competition that brought classroom concepts into a practical setting. Students applied principles involving physics, engineering and energy production while experimenting with turbine blades, generators and other elements that affected the amount of energy their designs could produce.
Beyond the competition itself, the event introduced students to renewable-energy technology and potential opportunities within the clean-energy sector. Students worked together throughout the challenge, combining creativity, teamwork and problem-solving as they refined their designs.
SMUD Board President Dave Tamayo joined SMUD representatives and participating students during the event, which ran from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
SMUD partnered with KidWind for the competition as part of efforts to expose young students to renewable energy and STEM education. KidWind programs use wind and other renewable-energy technologies to provide students with hands-on opportunities to explore how energy is generated and how engineering can improve its production.
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