Five Montana Teams Advance to the 2017 F1 in Schools STEM Challenge "Cup of the Americas" U.S. National Championships

The Montana Office of Public Instruction in conjunction with the Highlands College of Montana Tech and Downshift Into STEM recently hosted the Montana F1 in Schools competition. Five Montana high school teams will advance to the F1 in Schools STEM Challenge Cup of the Americas U.S. National Championships in Austin, TX. The competition will be held June 8th to June 10th.

Drummond High School’s team was the overall Grand Champion at the state competition. They will advance to the national competition along with teams from Sheridan, Hot Springs, Simms, and Hamilton High Schools.

Teams of 3-5 members work together to build a model Formula 1 (F1) race car. Over the course of the project the students develop a business and design plan for building the car, construct the car using Computer-Aided Design (CAD), turn the designs into CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) instructions, mill the car from balsamic wood or the new F1 block using a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) router, test the model in a wind tunnel, and ultimately race their carbon dioxide powered cars. The purpose of the project is to interest students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) careers by involving them in a hands-on project involving science and engineering principles and skills.

"Congratulations to the schools who will be representing Montana on the national stage! Increasing emphasis in STEM fields beginning in middle school, especially math proficiency, is a priority of mine. It is my goal to ensure that our investment in the K-12 education system increases the value that students get from their high school diploma while preparing them to be college, career and community ready. These students showcase the tangible skills that we can instill in young people. I wish them the best of luck as they compete at the national competition and make Montana proud," Arntzen said Thursday.