Xcel Energy-sponsored camp challenges students

Teens learned about solar energy, electricity, building things and how things work at a Solar Energy Camp sponsored by XCel Energy held at Brush High School, July 18-19. (Lisa Jager/News-Tribune)

Exploring how solar energy works while having some fun at the same time is the theory behind a Brush Solar Energy Camp for teens held recently at Brush High School.
It?s also a way to inspire students to consider the possibilities of a career in science engineering or math, according to Xcel Energy?s Pawnee Station Director Jerry Lyne, who helps coordinate and lead the camp, along with Brush High School science teacher Dave Miner.
During the camp, students learn about electricity, gears, building things and making them work by building a drive box and mechanism powered by a solar panel. The solar collector panel contains reflective material that deflect the sunlight into solar cells to make the unit function. At the end of the two-day session students usually take their projects outside in the sun to see if they work. However, Lyne said this year due to overcast skies they were not able to test the collectors outside. However, they did use a flashlight just to test the control circuits and that the collector rotated in the correct direction.?
The camp has been held for several years now. Returning students, including two of Lyne?s own children, help mentor new students.
In past years, Lyne said they have also studied the science behind energy in rockets and also challenged themselves with a whimsical ?mental experiment ? ? calculate the size of a box needed in order to hold all the people on earth, challenging the students to determine if it?s something you could actually calculate.
Lyne said at the end of the camp this year students completed a survey which asked if they were also interested in other types of camps.? Some suggested botany, biology and chemistry.?
?If there are people in the community that would be interested, we could develop a week-long series of classes and the students could pick and choose based on their interests, of which the solar camp would be one," Lyne said. ?I am hoping this interest might prompt other individuals or businesses to have an interest to do similar types of camps.?
The camp, along with other science programs for students, is funded through a $17,500 grant from Xcel Energy to the Brush School District.

Source: http://www.brushnewstribune.com/ci_23758348/xcel-energy-sponsored-camp-challenges-students?source=rss_viewed

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