Beloit Breeze Club Qualifies for World KidWind Challenge in Minneapolis, Minnesota

The winners of last weekend’s Kansas KidWind State Finals are now gearing up for their next challenge – the World KidWind Challenge scheduled for May 5th through May 8th in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  To qualify for the world competition, teams first had to capture one of the top two spots in their age division during regional competitions, then win one of the top three spots in their age group at the State Finals.

The Beloit Breeze Club from Beloit Junior/Senior High School finished 2nd in the 4th-8th Grade Division at last weekend's Kansas KidWind State Finals.  The coach is Christie Fouts, and the team members are Colby Albert, Brylee Lepon, Rilee Lundine, and Tripp Stillwell.

To prepare for competition in the KidWind Challenge, team members work together to design, build and test a wind turbine using the materials of their choice.  At each level of competition (regional, state and national), turbines are put to the test in a 48" × 48" wind tunnel at a wind speed of approximately 3.5-5 m/s (meters per second). Scoring is based on turbine performance and efficiency, a knowledge quiz, an instant challenge, and a presentation to judges where the team explains its design process.

KidWind is an Energy Education Event from the Kansas Corporation Commission and K-State Engineering Extension made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.  The goal is to help students learn key concepts around science, technology, engineering, and math in fun and engaging ways.  The KidWind program actively engages students. It teaches not only STEM skills, but also promotes teamwork, problem solving and public speaking.