Get Up to Speed in STEM

On October 19th, I was honored to participate in the launch of the DASH+ contest and meet the three first high school teams to register to compete! The event was a great success, as we celebrated change in the automotive industry with representatives from the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE and U.S. Department of Energy, plus five of the 43 qualifying Progressive Automotive X PRIZE teams and their cars. You can see photos of students trying out cars like Tango and ZAP! on the DASH+ Flickr page.

I want to congratulate the first three DASH+ high school teams on being among the first to drive change:

• Tiger Speed from Memorial High School in West New York, NJ;
• The Emerald Knights from New Milford High School in New Milford, NJ; and
• Insane-4-Meters from City College Academy of the Arts in Manhattan, NY.

I was inspired as they imagined greatness for their dashboards of the future. I’m thrilled to see what they and the other teams will develop! I am also looking forward to my role as a DASH+ judge, where we will evaluate the submissions and narrow the field down to three finalists. See the rest of the judging panel by scrolling through the judging page.

Once the judges choose three, it’s up to the public to decide! Through an exciting round of online voting, we’ll ask all of you to help choose which team wins a trip to Motor City for a VIP experience!

As you form a team, you may wonder what the judges will look for in your submissions. We want you to display your ability to work as a team and use creativity. Teams should show us your mastery of math, science, design and technical skills and how your innovative ideas will help drivers reduce their environmental impact. View the scoring guide PDF for all the details. And don’t forget teams require 2-5 members, aged 14 and up and enrolled in grades 9-12 or the equivalent, along with an adult mentor over the age of 21.

DASH+ is more than just a contest – it’s a great way to get involved in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The contest brings tomorrow’s designers, scientists, engineers and mathematicians – YOU – together, giving first-hand experience in the important fields of STEM. DASH+ can help guide your college studies and expand your career choices, providing you with invaluable opportunities for the future.

So what are you waiting for? Form a team and register today at http://www.fuelourfuturenow.com/contest and join the DASH+ community by becoming a fan on Facebook, following us on Twitter and subscribing to our YouTube channel.

--Dale Fulton
DASH+ Judge and Senior Vice President of Curriculum Development for Discovery Education