Download Whitepaper
5th Annual Solar Grand Prix Donation
March 18, 2014Signal Hill Petroleum donated to Long Beach’s 5th Annual Solar Grand Prix to help provide students with a solar car kit and supplies.
Photo courtesy of Long Beach Seen – LONG BEACH, CALIF. USA — Bella Carbonara, left in green, Amelia Campos, center in green, and Alexis Villate, right, of St. Cornielus School cheer on their solar vehicle in the second annual Solar Grand Prix in Long Beach, Calif. on April 9, 2011.
The event gained news coverage from the Long Beach Report, Orange County Breeze, and Councilmember Gerrie Schipske’s blog. Click on the links below for the full articles.
Councilmember Gerrie Schipske’s Blog
5th Annual Solar Grand Prix
Sixty-nine teams from 19 different schools and organizations in and around Long Beach will compete in the Fifth annual Solar Grand Prix hosted by Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske. More than 400 students, coaches and volunteers will participate on race day. Students grades 6-12 will race solar-powered model cars they have designed, powered only by the sun.
Solar Grand Prix Funded by Generous Sponsors
This year’s solar car kits and student supplies were purchased thanks to generous donations from Signal Hill Petroleum and Sares-Regis.
Donations also cover the costs of providing t-shirts, awards, track materials, lunch and other materials needed for the competition. Sponsors of the event include: Signal Hill Petroleum, Pacific Pointe at Douglas Park by Sares-Regis Group, Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters, The Port of Long Beach, Segue to Solar, Supervisor Don Knabe, AES Alamitos, P2S Engineering, Keesal, Young and Logan, Dr. Mike Walter, Long Beach Lifeguards Association, Bethany Lutheran School, and Partners of Parks.
“Students work in teams to design their cars and create a completely solar-powered racing vehicle,” Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske commented, “It’s a great experience and an exciting event for the team members because they gain real world experience in the application of math, science and engineering skills. The goal of this annual event is to inspire students to pursue careers in engineering and science and to explore careers with companies that focus on sustainability.”
The Solar Grand Prix challenges students to work as a team, using their creative thinking and scientific knowledge to experiment, design, and build a high-performance model vehicle. Every team receives a starting kit, which includes a solar panel and electric motor. How they choose to construct a winning racer and what they will add to the basic kit will also be judged in separate categories for design, innovation, and more.