The local sustainability nonprofit, green|spaces, and EPB present the Chattanooga Green Prix on October 28 and 29 at the Chattanooga Riverfront.
Over 25 EV clubs at Hamilton County schools designed and built electric power race cars this semester. At the Green Prix, these students, ages 9-18, present their work, then compete on a racetrack assembled under the supervision of the Sports Car Club of America.
Since 2017, this hands-on STEM program has provided students at over 40 schools the opportunity to gain experience in electrical engineering, mechanics, and aerodynamics.
"Students that may not be interested in academic success really thrive with the hands-on experience that they have with the EV club," says Nikki Russell, Innovation Specialist and EV club advisor at Brown Academy. "A lot of students are not exposed to STEM careers, and you skew what you may want to be in life based on your experiences. I feel it's very important to expose all students to those career fields in STEM, especially the engineering fields."
The Green Prix curriculum helps prepare the future generation for the electrification of transportation and careers in the renewable energy fields.
"The skills that students learn at the Green Prix will carry over directly into emerging industries," says Executive Director of green|spaces Michael Walton. "There is an entire chain of industries that lead to the electrification of transportation. Engineers, mechanics, designers, marketing: there is going to be a wide range of opportunities to help facilitate this huge transition."
The Chattanooga Green Prix is free to attend and is open to the public. The elementary school teams race on Friday, October 28 and the middle school and high school teams race on Saturday, October 29.
To see the full schedule, and to learn about volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, visit green| spaces' website at www.greenspaceschattanooga.org/chattanooga-green-prix.
The Chattanooga Green Prix would not be possible without the support of our title sponsor EPB, as well as the support from the Lyndhurst Foundation, the Fullgraf Foundation, Gestamp, River City Company, Greater Chattanooga Robotics (TN Valley), Chattanooga Breakfast Rotary Club, NewTerra, Barcom, and the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA).