KidTech is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization established in 1997 that provides materials for students in Centre County, Pennsylvania to grow their experience and interest in STEM related fields. We provide engineering kits, bus transportation for students and teachers to attend events, and substitute teacher pay to make sure our programs are as low cost and impactful as possible.
Since 2006, KidTech’s lead activity each year is the Great Solar Car Challenge. KidTech provides a kit of solar car parts (30 sq. in. solar panel, wheels, plastic gears, small DC motor, 9V battery) to middle schools in Centre County. Each spring, KidTech volunteers and teachers work with the students to design, build, and test a small car — generally less than 8 oz. in weight. Students and teachers gather in May for the Great Solar Car Event, where students can race their cars in multiple events like fastest car, straightest car, hill climb, etc. The solar cars run on either the 9 V batteries (if it is cloudy) or the 12 V solar panels (if it’s sunny). Typically, we have over 150 students building cars each spring, and approximately 90 students (30 teams) participating on Race Day in May. During initial design stages, middle school students have the opportunity to meet with Penn State engineering students in the Engineering Ambassador’s program to learn more about good design approaches. Funding for the Great Solar Car Challenge comes from the Kards for Kids Charity Poker Tournament.
Building a winning solar/hybrid car is not a simple task: it involves a mix of wise selections for gear ratio + wheel diameter and careful building technique. Here are some resources provided to middle school teachers and students on the Great Solar Car program:
KidTech also was awarded a grant in Summer 2013 from the Frazier Foundation to work with local organizations to develop and deliver an outdoor exploration event, where students use traditional methods (maps, compass, landmarks) to navigate a course, as well as high-tech methods (GPS geocaching). More information coming…
(814) 571-3487
liz.kisenwether@gmail.com