Windstorm, Wind Blade Challenges Open for Registration (USA)

January 24, 2012

Registration is now open for the DeepCwind Consortium’s Windstorm Challenge 2012 and 4thAnnual Maine Wind Blade Challenge, which are competitions for middle school and high school students to design, build, implement and test wind power technology components similar to those being used in an extensive UMaine research program in deepwater offshore wind power.

Both events will be held Friday, April 27, at the New Balance Student Recreation Center on the UMaine campus.

The Windstorm Challenge is a comprehensive middle and high school invention competition focusing on deepwater offshore wind technology. Developed in partnership with UMaine and the Advanced Structures and Composites Center, Windstorm Challenge asks teams to design and construct a floating platform for a scale model wind turbine, then create a thorough business plan and sales pitch.

The Wind Blade Challenge, a program developed by the Maine Composites Alliance in partnership with the Advanced Structures and Composites Center and the Maine Wind Industry Initiative, matches high school students with composites manufacturers in Maine to research, design and manufacture model wind blades. The challenge culminates in a fun competition to see which team invented the most efficient wind blade.

Both events are designed for students with diverse ranges of experience and interests. Teams are not required to be from a specific school or classroom, and home school students are welcome. An adult advisor is required. In 2011, more than 300 students from more than 30 schools participated in the two events.

All winning team members who go on to attend UMaine receive a $20,000 paid internship at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center.

The DeepCwind Consortium’s mission is to establish the State of Maine as a national leader in deepwater offshore wind technology through a research initiative funded by the US Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and others.

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Offshore WIND staff, January 24, 2012; Image: https://windstormchallenge