2024 Solar Car Challenge Brings Teens from Across the U.S. to Fort Worth

Kelly Hunter — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 09:46:19 Z

Thirty-two teams of high school students from across the United States are preparing to head to Texas for the 31^st annual Solar Car Challenge, during which they will race around Texas Motor Speedway for four days to see which teams car goes the greatest distance. The race begins July 14.

The Solar Car Challenge, which is a finalist in the 2024 D CEO Nonprofit and Corporate Citizenship Awards in the Innovation and Education category, was established in 1993 by educator Dr. Lehman Marks. The program is designed to help motivate students in the fields of science, technology and alternative energy. Preparations for this years race began with educational workshops last September, though it can take teams two to three years to see their ideas come to fruition. Students built the cars using their own ideas and starting from scratch. Before the race, their cars will face scrutineering rigorous evaluation by a panel of experienced judges at the speedway from July 11-13.

During the race, car breakdowns, weather conditions and team experience will limit the number of miles a team can drive each day. The team driving the most miles accumulated over the four days of racing at Texas Motor Speedway will be declared the winner.

Students who take part in the Solar Car Challenge have a 23% greater chance of going into a STEM career than students participating in other STEM programs. This is the top project-based STEM program in the country, Marks said. We teach the kids how to build a plan, come up with a budget, fundraise, how to engineer the car and manage the project, all while theyre learning about how to harness energy from the sun to make a car go down the road.

This years Solar Car Challenge will feature 32 teams from 12 states, including 16 teams from Texas, four teams from California, two each from Kentucky and Florida, and one each from Idaho, Maryland, Connecticut, Missouri, Oregon, Washington, Arkansas and Michigan. There are teams in various stages of development in 39 states, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Spain and Singapore. A cross-country version of the race occurs biannually, with alternating years showcasing cars on the track at Texas Motor Speedway.

This is the brain sport, Marks said. Its not just about building the car, but how to drive that car, solve the inevitable problems that happen with the car, and keeping your team intact through four grueling days of racing. Doing the Solar Car Challenge makes these students better equipped to face the challenges theyll have in life.

For more information on the Solar Car Challenge, visit https://www.solarcarchallenge.org/challenge/media.shtml.

For photos and videos of prior races, contact Sunwest Communications at HEC@sunwestpr.com.

A media day will be held on Friday, July 12, at Texas Motor Speedway. Contact Sunwest Communications at HEC@sunwestpr.com for more information.

For sponsorship information on the Solar Car Challenge Foundation, contact Dr. Marks at 214.587.8489 or LehmanM743@aol.com.

ABOUT THE SOLAR CAR CHALLENGE

The Solar Car Challenge & Education Program is designed to help motivate students in Science, Engineering, and Alternative Energy. We teach high school students how to plan, design, engineer, build, race, and evaluate roadworthy solar cars. Students demonstrate that green technology can create a better world. The Solar Car Challenge has 261 ongoing high school solar car projects located in 39 states, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, the Bahamas, Spain and Singapore. These teams are in the process of designing, engineering and building roadworthy solar cars in anticipation of an upcoming solar racing event. The Challenges Education Program provides support for schools seeking to be a part of this top project-based STEM Initiative. The Solar Car Challenges Education Program has served the educational community for 26 national events. More than 65,000 students have directly benefited from this program.

Medical City Fort Worth Appoints New ACFO

Elizabeth Couch — Tue, 14 May 2024 16:14:00 Z

FORT WORTH Medical City Fort Worth has appointed Benjamin Baggi as the hospital's new assistant chief financial officer (ACFO). In this role, he will also support Medical City Weatherford. In this position, he will work closely with hospital leadership to oversee financial operations and strategy and ensure the hospital's continued success in delivering high-quality patient care.

Baggi brings a wealth of experience in financial management and healthcare operations to his new role. Before Medical City Fort Worth, he served as the financial systems and reporting manager at Florida Cancer Specialists in Tampa, Florida, where he played a pivotal role in implementing a new financial reporting and recording system.

In addition to his role at Florida Cancer Specialists, Baggi has held leadership positions in finance at prominent healthcare organizations where he piloted innovative ideas to improve budget timelines and systems, reduce workload and enhance communication between departments.

"We are pleased to welcome Ben to the Medical City Fort Worth team," says John Hoover, CEO of Medical City Fort Worth. His extensive experience and proven track record make him an asset to our hospital as we continue to grow and serve the healthcare needs of our community."

Baggi holds an MBA with a concentration in Data Analytics from Saint Leo University and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Southwestern Adventist University.

ABOUT MEDICAL CITY FORT WORTH

Medical City Fort Worth is a 378-bed, acute care hospital located in Fort Worth, Texas. With a medical team of more than 700 physicians, Medical City Fort Worth offers comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services in a wide range of specialties, including cardiovascular care, neurosciences, oncology, surgical services, orthopedics, kidney transplants and emergency care. Part of the Texas Stroke Institute stroke care network, Medical City Fort Worth is a designated comprehensive stroke center and a Joint Commission-certified chest pain center. Named one of Americas 250 Best Hospitals by Healthgrades, Medical City Fort Worth is A-rated for safety by the Leapfrog Group and Magnet® recognized for nursing excellence.

Staff & Reader Submitted

2024 Solar Car Challenge Brings Teens from Across the U.S. to Fort Worth

Medical City Fort Worth Appoints New ACFO