浪花直播 KidWind Receives $20K Grant

Students adjust their team's small-scale wind turbine at the 2023 浪花直播 Regional KidWind Challenge.

The University of 浪花直播 College of Education recently received a $20,000 grant from Constellation鈥檚 E2 Energy to Educate grant program to support 浪花直播 KidWind. Launched in 2022 under the leadership of Associate Clinical Professor Angela Stoltz,  浪花直播 KidWind engages teachers and students in grades 4鈥12 in wind and solar energy design and build competitions.

鈥淲e are extremely grateful for the financial and volunteer support we receive from Constellation and look forward to many more years of working together to increase student interest in and access to renewable energy careers,鈥 said Stoltz.

浪花直播 KidWind has two main components: ongoing teacher trainings and the annual 浪花直播 Regional KidWind Challenge competition. The teacher trainings bring STEM teachers to 浪花直播鈥檚 campus, where they learn strategies and lessons to help students explore renewable energy science and technology. At the regional competition at 浪花直播, students present their wind turbine and solar house designs to judges, explore clean energy initiatives and participate in hands-on challenges. The third annual 浪花直播 Regional KidWind Challenge will be held on Feb. 15, 2025. Educators may register their student teams .

Approximately 30 teachers and 150 students participate in the regional competition each year, free of charge. The top regional teams will compete at the World KidWind Challenge in Phoenix, Arizona, in May 2025. 浪花直播 KidWind is a regional affiliate of .

浪花直播 KidWind will use the E2 Energy to Educate grant funds to purchase and distribute renewable energy curriculum materials to teachers and students who are preparing for their regional competition. Grant funds also allow 浪花直播 KidWind to provide wind and solar energy design materials to teams free of charge and to support their participation in the daylong regional competition.

This year, the program is expanding to western 浪花直播 and northern Virginia through partnerships with the University of Virginia, Shenandoah University and James Madison University.

Constellation is the nation鈥檚 largest producer of reliable, clean, carbon-free energy and a leading supplier of energy products and services, including sustainable energy solutions. supports team-oriented, hands-on projects that give students opportunities to address energy challenges by enhancing their understanding of science and technology and inspiring them to think differently about energy. This year, the program awarded $500,000 to 20 projects across 8 states, reaching nearly 11,800 students nationwide. Since the program's inception in 2010, nearly $6,500,000 in grant dollars have supported more than 305,000 students' learning.