Students at seven Chattanooga area schools are building electric vehicles for a spring competition aimed at teaching them design and engineering.
A local nonprofit organization, green|spaces, sent participating schools a kit with materials and instructions, but it was up to the students to build the cars and find ways to make them faster than their competition.
“It’s all about exposing kids to engineering,” Japho Hardin, the Howard School teacher overseeing the project, said. ” I gave them directions, taught them some safety instructions and let them do it.”
Hardin’s Introduction to Engineering and Design class, made up of juniors, is competing. The class has about a dozen students interested in engineering and other STEM subjects. Through the project, the students have used both mechanical and electrical engineering.
However, the project has taught them more than just science and technical skills, Hardin said. He’s watched as students found their roles and learned to use their individual skills to benefit the group. He was glad to see the students naturally find leaders and allow them to help delegate what needed to be done to make the project run smoothly. He also said students have shown a sense of accomplishment and endurance, making steady progress and completing the project through to the end.