April 24, Great Ideas Breakfast, "Stories of Waste and Hope", Princeton Public Library, 8:30 am: Find out where your curbside recyclables go, and where your food waste might go in Trenton for composting in the future. Other speakers as well, and food.
May 17 SOLAR JAM at Princeton High School, a collaborative venture and contest organized by O.A.S.I.S. (Organizing Action for Sustainability In Schools) and PSE&G. Registration deadline was April 15, but you might be able to plead your case, and blame me for not getting word out sooner. With a solar car race and solar-related exhibits, it should be a great event. See more info below:
Solar Jam Overview
This event has two main elements. The first is a solar-powered car race,
in which students use vehicles they have built. The second is an
‘open’ solar science fair, for which students can display any project
that uses solar energy – such as solar ovens, sundials, reconfigured
electronics, etc. There will be food available from local vendors, but we
are aiming for a “Zero Waste” event, so participants and spectators
will have to bring their own beverage containers.
For more on the event, and lots of links about building solar vehicles, click on "read more".
Logistics
SolarJam will take place on the grounds of Princeton High School, on
Saturday, May 17th, from 11am-2pm, with a rain/cloud date of Sunday, May
18th. Final directions and parking details will be sent out prior to the
event.
Details for Participants
Both the solar car race and solar science fair are open to grades 3
through 12, with participants divided into Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8)
and Upper (9-12) divisions.
PSE&G will fund the first 40 teams to register, up to a maximum of $40 per
team. Teams are responsible for providing receipts to account for the cost
of materials, and are expected to return any unused funds.
Junior Solar Sprint Car Race: Prior to the event, teams build a
solar-powered car. The requirements are that each team uses a solar panel
rated at 3.2 Watts or less, and a DC motor of no more than 3 Volts.
Recommended sources for these materials are the “Junior Solar Sprint
kit” available on [ http://www.solarmade.com/ ]www.SolarMade.com and
the “Ray Catcher Sprint Kit” on [ http://www.pitsco.com/
]www.pitsco.com. These online vendors also sell the materials needed for
the vehicle’s body, wheels, and transmission. However, there is no
requirement that participants use these specific materials to build their
vehicle. See the website [ http://www.jrsolarsprint.org/
]www.jrsolarsprint.org for building tutorials, as well as resources for
lesson plans. On the day of the event, teams will race their vehicles
along a guide wire down a 20-foot long track. Please note that vehicles
must include eyelets on the front and back through which the guide wire
will be led. Multiple heats will be run for each age division, to
determine 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers. Recognition will also be
given to the team in each division that has used the most re-used
materials.
Open Solar Science Fair: This fair is open to any project that uses the
sun. Teams will have access to tables on which to stage their
presentations. Suggested projects include, but are not limited to, solar
ovens, sundials, solar phone chargers, and electronics reconfigured to run
on small solar panels. Each team will be given recognition for
participating, but there is not a competitive aspect to this part of the
event.
To Register:
Each team must have an adult associated with it – a teacher, a parent,
etc. Please email Andrew Lloyd at [ mailto:alloyd@pennington.org
]alloyd@pennington.org before April 15th.
[ http://tinyurl.com/noaqk3z ]SolarJam 2014 Online Registration Form
Here are a few sites to get students going on Open Division ideas. Please
remind the students never to look into the sun, and to be careful if
working with reflective materials - almost the full strength of the sun
can be reflected and harm eyes.
[ http://www.nrel.gov/education/
]http://www.nrel.gov/
[
http://www.
]http://www.
[ http://www.juliantrubin.com/
]http://www.juliantrubin.com/
[ http://www.makeitsolar.com/
]http://www.makeitsolar.com/
And here are the sites for the Solar Car Division (The solarmade kit is
about 1/2 the price of the Pitsco kit now, but wanted to give them all the
info!)
[ http://jrsolarsprint.org/ ]http://jrsolarsprint.org/
[ http://www.solarmade.com/
]http://www.solarmade.com/
[ http://www.pitsco.com/Ray_
]http://www.pitsco.com/Ray_
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