TechForce grant funds brand new FASE hydrogen fuel cell competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TechForce Foundation and FASE team-up to bring Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car Competition to Denver area schools
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — February 26th, 2019 TechForce Foundation has just announced a grant to the Foundation for Advanced Stem Education (FASE), the first received by the newly-founded organization. FASE is focused on providing hands-on, team-driven STEM projects for students, encouraging problem-solving skills and helping them explore possible career paths. The TechForce grant provides the seed money for the first of these projects, the 2019 Elementary School “Hydrogen Fuel Cell” Car Competition.
Students from nine elementary schools across multiple school districts in the Denver Metro area will participate in the challenge, building a small fuel-cell DIY kit car. They must assemble the fuel cell components and get the fuel cell operational, as well as install the electric motor. They will then build their own chassis and wheels. For those students who want to take it a step further, there is a second division of competition where they will also design and build their own body. Creativity and imagination are highly encouraged in the build.
The competition is the kick-off project for FASE, and the brainchild of FASE founder and Wheat Ridge High School STEM teacher Charles L. Sprague. “This competition creates the perfect opportunity to engage kids in hands-on opportunities at the elementary school level in a fun and challenging way, with cutting-edge technology” says Sprague. “Today’s kids have very few occasions to experience these types of tactile activities; something that is a shame, and which FASE is working hard to change.” According to Greg Settle, Director of National Initiatives at TechForce, that is exactly why TechForce wanted to partner with FASE. “Our research clearly shows that a key impediment to young men and women considering, and then choosing careers in skilled trades is that they are not exposed to tactile, hands-on engagement in their formative years. Sadly, they may not even get that exposure later on in middle school or high school. To partner with a foundation that is seeking to do just that couldn’t be a more perfect fit for TechForce.”
About FASE
FASE is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) whose mission is the advancement of interdisciplinary skill development through student driven projects in K-12 STEM education in the Denver Metro Area. It strives to accomplish this through partnership with industry, community and business providing open-ended, hands-on and team-driven STEM projects that encourage problem-solving for students in order to help them explore meaningful career paths to become passionate, contributing members of society.
About TechForce Foundation
TechForce Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) with the mission to champion students to and through their technical education and into careers as professional transportation technicians. The Foundation distributes more than $2.0 million in scholarships and grants annually, thanks to its generous corporate sponsors and donors, and is spearheading FutureTech Success®, the industry-wide initiative to help encourage and support more young people to pursue the vehicle technician profession. For more information, visit www.techforce.org.
FASE Contact:
Charles Sprague, charles.sprague70@gmail.com, 720-879-1123
TechForce Foundation Contact:
Jennifer Maher, jmaher@techforce.org, 623-445-0933 or 602-550-0371
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