Wheat Ridge Transcript 0423

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April 23, 2015 VOLU M E 31 | I S SUE 43 | 5 0 ¢

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NEWSMAKER Q&A

Wheat Ridge STEM wins at Shell Eco-Marathon Coach talks about victory in national event BY CLARKE READER • CREADER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Wheat Ridge High School STEM won first place in the prototype category for the group’s hydrogen fuel cell car at the Shell Eco-Marathon in Detroit. The event, held April 9-13, tested the team’s adaptability and determination. And in the students’ first attempt, they came out on top. We sat down with instructor Chuck Sprague to talk about the competition, challenges and how the first year went.

we completed the track in 24 minutes and

Chuck Sprague

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WHEAT RIDGE TRANSCRIPT (ISSN 1089-9197)

OFFICE: 722 Washington Ave, Unit 210 Golden, CO 80401 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Jefferson County, Colorado, the Wheat Ridge Transcript is published weekly on Thursday by Mile High Newspapers, 722 Washington Ave, Unit 210, Golden, CO 80401. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT GOLDEN, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: Wheat Ridge Transcript 722 Washington Ave., Unit 210 Golden, CO 80401 DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legal: Fri. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 5 p.m. G ET SOCI AL WITH US

P LE A S E R ECYC L E T H I S C O PY

After a wildly successful first year, Wheat Ridge STEM is already thinking about the 2015-2016 school year. Instructor Chuck Sprague said the team has been invited to participate in some summer events, including The Harlan Street Rumble and 44th Avenue Cruise on May 9 and Carnation Fest Aug. 14 through 16. The class will lose four students due to graduation, but Sprague said there are more freshmen joining the class next year than there are total students in the class currently. Moving forward, Wheat Ridge STEM will again participate in the Shell Eco-Marathon (possibly with two cars this time), the Colorado Technology Student Association, the Rocky Mountain Best robotics competition and the Team America Rocketry Challenge. There is also discussion with working on a STEAM program, which would pair the team with an arts class to create and a build a large art creation together. “We’re going to be looking for more partners and sponsors in the community,” Sprague said. “Now is the fun part — we get to see what happens and who wants to join us.”

The hydrogen fuel cell car designed and built by the Wheat Ridge High School STEM team on the track in the Shell EcoMarathon in Detroit. Courtesy photo

What was your experience in Detroit like? CS: Shell did a good job on the event. Our car got to Detroit at 3:30 in the morning on Thursday (April 9) and we were able to start tech inspections that day. Inspections were held throughout the competition. Everything is measured, from length and width of the car, to turning radius, safety harnesses and ability to evacuate the car in 10 seconds.

Our first drive

32 seconds.

What’s next for Wheat Ridge STEM

How did the inspections go? CS: Not many make it through on their first time, and it took us three times to get through. They didn’t like our safety harness setup and we had to sand down some bolts because they said they were too sharp. I understand you had a problem with the fuel cell? CS: We had two cells, but one was really old, and our car wouldn’t have worked as well with it. Our first cell was out of commission, so I was scrambling to try to find one. Only about 15 of these cells get made a year, and I was calling Horizon (Fuel Cell Technologies — the company that makes the cells) trying to find one. They said there were none in the U.S., but we were able to find one in the Czech Republic at the last minute and have it shipped to us in time for testing. What came after the inspections? CS: We went on testing runs, and then were able to take our car to the course. We really had no idea what would happen once we got to the course. The track is .9 miles and must be driven seven times, so it’s 6.3 miles in total. You have to finish the course in less than 25 minutes. It’s all about fuel efficiency, so students want to drive for a bit, then coast, then drive for a bit, then coast. How did it go? CS: Our first drive we completed the track in 24 minutes and 32 seconds. Our second and third runs we did not finish, because of technical issues, but then had the chance to do three more runs. On our fourth and fifth runs we improved each time. What was it like winning on your first entry? CS: It was great, and everyone was excited, but we were all pretty exhausted. It didn’t really start to kick in until we got up on the stage to receive our trophy and check. Looking back on the first year of Wheat Ridge STEM, how did you find the experience? CS: It was exciting to be part of something groundbreaking for a high school. There were challenges, but it was wonderful. I was able to see some great team-building from the students, and had the opportunity to see everyone working toward a common goal.

STUDENTS SPEAK JACQUELINE PEDLOW, FRESHMAN

NICOLE ORTEGA, JUNIOR What was Detroit and the Shell EcoMarathon like? It was a lot of fun, and I got to meet people I normally wouldn’t. Winning was amazing, because none of us expected it. We just wanted to complete the track and place.

What was Detroit and the Shell EcoMarathon like? Absolutely amazing. We had some trying moments, but it was so cool to see the camaraderie of all the teams. It was way cooler than I expected.

What was your favorite thing about the first year of Wheat Ridge STEM? We learned a lot of new things, and it was very different than I expected. We learned things like communication and other things I didn’t expect to come into play.

What was your favorite thing about the first year of Wheat Ridge STEM? Everything. Making friends, because we were all around each other so often. We all learned leadership, teamwork and problem solving.

KYLE BROTHERS, SENIOR

KANDREW MILLER, JUNIOR

What was Detroit and the Shell EcoMarathon like? It was stressful in some ways, exciting in others. There was definitely some pressure, because I’m basically the entire electrical division. But it was enjoyable after we won.

What was Detroit and the Shell EcoMarathon like? It was a lot of fun, but exhausting, to get through everything, like the tech inspections. It was fun to get to know the other teams that were competing.

What was your favorite thing about the first year of Wheat Ridge STEM? Just being able to do things. With CAD (computer-aided design) you just have a sheet of paper, but we had real engineering experience.

What was your favorite thing about the first year of Wheat Ridge STEM? All the things we learned. We designed the car on the computer, and got to see the process as we built it. We know where everything came from.

WHEAT RIDGE STEM STUDENTS Ryan Abo* Harley Bradford* Kyle Brothers* Ian Clark* Quinn Ferguson* Hunter Hathorne William Jeffrey Casey Kramer*

Kevin McCoy Andrew Miller* Nicole Ortega* Jackueline Pedlow* Cole Pierce Westin Rankin Nathan Rockenfeller* Brandon Saunders*

Aidan Shelburne Noah Sponable Andrew Wahlers Jacob Worth* * — Students who went to Detroit or the Shell Eco-Marathon


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