Fueling Our Future In Philadelphia

 

The Progressive Automotive X PRIZE  Education team is presenting at the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) conference in Philadelphia this week.  Our education program and Fuel Our Future Now (FOFN) website resources are featured in the Discovery Education booth on the exhibit floor, visited by a steady stream of inquisitive science teachers each day. The theme of the conference this year is Connecting Science Past with Science Future so discussions range from Ben Franklin’s kite to….The Dashboard of The Future of course. Appropriate topics for FOFN, a US Department of Energy sponsored program!

 

 Our DASH+ contest challenges teams of high school students nationwide to design a dashboard that will help drivers save fuel by providing feedback on how their driving is affecting their fuel efficiency. The entries have all been submitted, and we are currently making some tough decisions -- selecting the best of the best to advance to the next level. After a round of judging by auto and energy experts, the top three entries will be online at Fuel Our Future Now in May for online voting.  I’m encouraging the teachers here to have their students visit the site and vote for their favorite dashboard. I’ve also suggested that they make an assignment out of it and have their students justify their selections based on the science behind the designs. It is school after all.

Tonight we were treated to a screening of Discovery’s new documentary series, life.  The evening was hosted by The Franklin Institute, where we also had a chance to reflect on transportation of the past.

 

Tomorrow we visit Lego Education Land, right on the NSTA convention floor.  Stay tuned!