The following is a guest post by Dr. Tim Lampe, Senior Associate Athletic Director and Adjunct Professor at Center for Sport Leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Richmond, VA – Months of hard work culminated on Friday, February 13th, when middle and high school students from the Richmond Public Schools (RPS) experienced a special STEM in Sport Education Day event at the Richmond Coliseum. Through the collaboration of the RPS, the MathScience Innovation Center (MSiC), Arena Racing-USA, and the Center for Sport Leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), 200 students attended the STEM hands-on learning event that focused on translating classroom content into real-world application as it specifically related to STEM and the sport of Arena Racing.
During the two and a half hour event, groups of 15 students and their teachers participated in different hands-on learning activity stations that included STEM concepts, such as speed, aerodynamics, banking, tires/temperature, weight, timing, as well as general STEM discussions with drivers and their cars.
The MSiC was the key partner for the education component of this event.
Dr. Hollee Freeman, MSiC Executive Director, indicated that “the project began several years ago with impetus from Venture Richmond and Arena Racing to bring the math and science of motor sports into the hands of students and teachers and to bring awareness to the sport of Arena Racing.”
As a result of this project, the MSiC created curriculum designed specifically to help Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers teach students math and science concepts. The curriculum was highlighted in the workstations that were seen at the event.
“Having a STEM Program created for these students, and the MSiC creating curriculum, will enable school teachers to connect to kids in the classroom by using Arena Racing as the hook,” stated Ricky Dennis, Owner and President of Arena Racing USA.
He went to say that, “it has brought on a tremendous purpose and appreciation. Seeing 200+ kids attend our event and participate in Q&A sessions with the Drivers and Educators at the “learning stations” adds an extremely rewarding feeling and a desire to do more to be able to connect to these kids in a positive way.”
Arena Racing is the perfect vehicle to connect young students to STEM content being taught in the classroom. The cars are especially attractive to a younger audience, because they are half-scale stock cars racing at speeds of 50 MPH and completing laps in as little as eight seconds.
Ricky Dennis says that, “it really is a tremendous feeling to know that Arena Racing can create such a positive impact on these students and their futures.”
The collaborative partnership for this event, however, is not a new one.
For the past two years, this same group has teamed up with Richmond International Raceway (RIR) for the RIR STEM Education Day event. 600 CTE middle school students from Henrico County Public Schools attended the event at the track on Thursday of race week for the past two years, with the third annual event being planned for Thursday, April 23rd of this year.
Having the event at the race complex during race week enables students to see NASCAR race cars up close and to experience the unique racing atmosphere that can only be experienced at the track. 20 hands-on activities are provided, in part, by the MSiC and Arena Racing, as well as by race-related vendors, who provide activities such as racing simulators, fuel, oil and air-filter demonstrations, and a cut-away car, so that students can see all of the STEM-related aspects of a NASCAR.
Providing students with hands-on activities enhances their understanding of the many STEM components that are learned in the classroom, especially as teachers attend each station with their students to explain and strengthen this connection. Having the attention of the students and potentially creating an “ah-ha moment” when they make the connection is very powerful.
Strong community partnerships like the one that made the RPS STEM and RIR STEM events possible is what will ultimately make STEM education projects like these successful. Partnerships like this one will keep these moving forward and sustainable.
Technical, Engineering, Trade, and Industrial Instructional Specialist at RPS, Jorge Valenzuela, said it best when he stated, “At Richmond Public Schools we embrace ideas that put children first, and we partner with entities outside of schools to build a better district!”