Long Beach, CA – The 2012 Solar Grand Prix will not happen until April 21st, but many teams are already registered and excited to compete. Last year, the event picked up steam and saw 150 teams and over 400 students race their carefully designed and constructed cars in El Dorado Park. The Solar Grand Prix challenges local students to use scientific know-how, creative thinking, experimentation, and teamwork to design and build high-performance model solar vehicles.
This year, to enhance the overall experience for all participating teams, registration was limited to 50 middle school and 50 high school teams, with a maximum of 5 teams per school. Teams must also be comprised of exactly 4 students, with a parent or teacher serving as a coach.
Councilwoman Schipske and the 5th District Solar and Sustainability Task Force are still encouraging students in grades 9- 12 to sign up. Registration materials may be accessed by going online to http://admin.longbeach.gov/district5/solargrandprix/.
Long Beach City College is co-sponsoring the mandatory team orientation, which will take place on Saturday, January 21st at the school’s Liberal Arts Campus. Car kits from the Segue to Solar Online Store are supplied to the teams and paid for by event sponsors.