JSS Educator Resources

Curricula & background information for building a model solar race care

 

NESEA Northeast JSS Newsletters: Download to get informative articles,  inspirational photos, and important resources.

• Sprint Coordinators Convene, Tips on Gears, Winter 2010 (PDF)
• JSS Event Season is Here, Spring 2009 (PDF)
• Solar Panels: PV Applications & More, Winter 2009 (PDF)
• Solar Panels Manufacture, Spring 2008 (PDF)
• Solar Panels: Amps, Volts and Power Winter 2007/2008 (PDF)
• Solar Cells: P-N Junction, Spring 2007 (PDF)
• Solar Panels: The Basics, Fall 2006 (PDF)
  

 

NESEA Getting Started Brochure

• JSS Car Diagram

 

NESEA JSS Videos

NEW!!! Learn about the JSS experience by watching the 2009 JSS Northeast Championship. Students discuss their process and the attributes of their cars, event coordinators, teachers, and volunteers speak about the merits of the program. See the cars race and the array of car designs.
Entertaining and educational. Watch the Video!

A compilation of four Junior Solar Sprint video clips including a very fun 8 minute introduction suitable for students and teachers alike, 17 minutes of interviews with teachers, a view of the Long Island JSS event, and a 4 minute promotional piece from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. To order a copy, please download an order form (*.pdf) and send it to: NESEA, 50 Miles St., Suite 3, Greenfield, MA 01301. The video costs $10.50.

Watch the fun, educational 8 minute introduction to JSS below.
 

 

Links to other Organizations

Chimacum Junior Solar Sprint Curriculum Guide

Developed by the Educators at the Chimacum, Washington School District #49, this unit takes teachers step by step in how to mentor students in the Junior Solar Sprint process.  Please note that the Washington JSS rules may differ from NESEA's Northeast Championship rules. Please follow NESEA's guidelines for participation in the Northeastern states regional, state, and Championship races. 

Iowa Junior Solar Sprint (PDF)

This project developed by the Iowa Energy Center allows students to employ the same process used by professional mechanical engineers when they design something new. Design relies on generating ideas. The students build a miniature solar car and test their ideas. Students change the wheel sizes, design transmissions, mount a solar panel--attacking the overall problem in a piece-wise fashion.

 

National Renewal Energy Laboratory

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) National JSS Web site. Model solar car race rules, Host/Event Coordinator Handbook, and JSS curricula - PDFs below.

• Introduction to Build a JSS Car

• So You Want to Build a JSS Car
• Classroom Investigation
• Inside Tips
• Teacher Mentor Guide
• Build a JSS Car Tutorial
  

Solar Matters III

Florida Solar Energy Center award winning solar energy science unit Solar Matters III for intermediate 6th through 8th grade teachers and students. The purpose of this unit is to create an awareness of the power of solar energy, the importance of it in our lives, and its impact on the future of energy development.