KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The first-ever KidWind Challenge in the state of Michigan kicked off at Western Michigan University Saturday.
The competition, ranging from grades 6-12, gets students involved in power generation using wind power while testing their engineering skills and knowledge.
According to organizers, the competition benefits their potential futures in the renewable energy field.
“For us, it’s about developing our programs and helping kids to find careers,” said Marty Buehler, KidWind liaison for the Department of Engineering at WMU.
“That I think is important, but understanding the renewable energy field of wind for kids in terms of climate change and everything else is important too, as citizens.”
Teams faced several different challenges in the competition, including pre-building their own turbines and testing how much energy they produce, along with answering interview questions about their devices.
Competitors also had to…
