Sun Run Day 9- Visiting the Explora Science Center and Museum
This morning the array crew got up bright and early to let Aevum charge on the bright New Mexican sun. With an altitude above 5,000 ft, Aevum’s battery became full in record time.
With Aevum charged up, we could move on to the main event of the day- our event with the Explora Science Center and Museum. Explora welcomed us with open arms, integrating the solar car into their activities comprising of an interactive circuit board and activity about wind power, which falls into the themes of sustainability. Solar cars are quite complicated and even members of the team often struggle to understand systems that they are not responsible for on the solar car. As such, it was great to see how some of the concepts in the solar car could be simplified into easier-to-understand activities that could help us connect to a much younger generation. This is something that the team will definitely take the opportunity to learn from as we try to inspire the next generation in a relatable way. Additionally, the activities were quite fun, with some of our team members even giving a go at it and racing against some of the younger visitors to finish the wind-powered LED light activity first. I will not give away the grand secret of who won the competition and leave it up to the imagination, but everyone had a lot of fun.
Other than interacting with children and parents, there were also a lot of Michigan alumni at the museum, which was amazing to see. They had graduated before us and their years had brought them many interesting stories and advice while all connected by the University. From a retired teacher at a Native American Reservation to an engineer, which many of us aspire to be, it was really impactful to be able to talk to people bonded by similar experiences who had so much knowledge and different perspectives We’re all grateful for the support and as always, Go Blue!
None of this would have been possible without Explora, who hosted us at their space and gave us an opportunity to interact with a younger demographic that we don’t usually come into contact with, alumni, and so many more people and talk about what we do. We are very thankful for their help in making this event a reality. If I’m ever in New Mexico, I will be sure to make a trip here regardless of my age as I think, anyone can find enjoyment in the wonderful space.
Sadly, all good things come to an end and we had to leave Explora to continue on our journey. Even though it rained a bit as the solar car drove down the road, after a brief stop to consider our options, we decided to continue onward with the solar car. The solar car did not let down our expectations and took on the rain as if it were no object, speaking to the miles we’ve come in terms of waterproofing the car along our journey. The waterproofing is really important for our car as we recently learned that it is currently monsoon season in the desert, hence the rain and the expectations of more rain in the days to come. Going forward, we will try our best to make progress in adverse conditions and continue improving on our car to make it more suitable for the environment. Overall, today had been a really good day for the team. It has also been an exciting day for me as not only was Explora amazing, but I also got to meet people who read these blogs and I’m really happy that my blogs can bring the solar car journey to others. Thank you for reading and supporting this team!
