(Chicago, IL) May 14, 2018 – To give students in grades 4-12 the opportunity to showcase their knowledge of renewable energy concepts and engineering prowess, KidWind, the international leader of clean energy education, hosted the 2018 National KidWind Challenge at the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) WINDPOWER 2018 Conference & Exhibition in Chicago last week. A total of 21 high school and 40 middle school teams competed for the chance to win the grand prize of $750, the second place prize of $500, and the third place prize of $250.
The 2018 National KidWind Challenge Champions are:
● High School Division:
o First Place – Redwood Express from Bath County High School in Hot Springs, Va.
o Second Place –Tuttle Windy’s from Tuttle High School in Tuttle, Okla.
o Third Place – Silver Bullet from Coachella Valley High School in Thermal, Calif.
● Middle School Division:
o First Place – Oxford Air Sharks from Oxford Middle School in Oxford, Kan.
o Second Place – SPINNERS from Lanier Middle School in Fairfax, Va.
o Third Place – The Birds from Darlington Elementary-Middle School in Darlington, Wis.
o Third Place – iTurbineX from Old Donation School in Virginia Beach, Va.
At the competition, teams tested the energy output of their hand-crafted wind turbines in the KidWind Wind Tunnels, presented their designs to wind industry experts who served as judges for the competition, and performed several “Instant Challenges” – problem-solving engineering tasks unknown to each team prior to the event. The teams from both the middle school and high school divisions with the highest energy output, most innovative turbine design, and greatest demonstrated knowledge of wind power were named the 2018 National KidWind Challenge Champions.
“We created the KidWind Challenge to give students an outlet for learning and applying renewable energy concepts, but it’s clear it has become something more than that,” said Michael Arquin, Director and Founder of KidWind. “Every year we’re surprised by the students’ imagination, ingenuity, and good sportsmanship, and this year was no different. We could not be more proud of the students and coaches for making the KidWind Challenge what it is today.”
The National KidWind Challenge and the local KidWind Challenge Events were made possible through generous contributions from Vernier Software & Technology, as well as APEX Clean Energy, Appalachian Energy Center, AWEA, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, EDP Renewables North America, ENEL Green Power, Google, HARBEC, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, National Society of Black Engineers, and Pattern Energy. During the National KidWind Challenge, EDP Renewables North America and Pattern Energy were awarded Educational Leadership Awards for their unwavering support of renewable energy education outreach.
The KidWind Challenge is a nationwide initiative to help students learn about renewable energy and hone their engineering skills through the spirit of competition. Since the first event in 2009, the KidWind Challenge and its partners have provided this opportunity to more than 15,000 students across 22 states.
For more information about the KidWind Challenge, visit: kidwindchallenge.org.
About the KidWind Challenge
The KidWind Challenge is the ultimate wind energy learning experience. Students discover the promise and limitations of wind energy technology while designing, building, and testing a functional wind turbine and competing with their peers in a supportive environment. The KidWind Challenge was developed in 2009 by the KidWind Project, an international leader in wind energy education, and has been embraced and supported by leading energy industry companies since its start. For information on how to get involved, go to kidwindchallenge.org.
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