Teachers Pilot New High School EV STEM Curriculum

There’s a major Micro-Electric Vehicle (MEV) Competition fast approaching for high school students. Before they can get started, they need to learn everything they can about the chemistry, physics, and math that make EVs work.

At Clinton High School in Michigan, AP Physic, Chemistry, and Calculus Teacher Ron Schaffner couldn’t wait to pilot the new SAE A World In Motion® (AWIM®) Powered Up! Electric Vehicles Challenge Suite. Having been a long-time participant in an MEV Competition in Detroit that inspired the new AWIM high school curriculum, Schaffner was excited about the opportunity to add even more context and practical application for his 44 students. 

Although the flexible curriculum can be implemented as stand-alone modules, the team at Clinton High decided to implement all three: Ramp Up! The Physics of Electric Vehicles, Charge Up! The Chemistry of Electric Vehicles, and Measure Up! The Math of Electric Vehicles.

Once students broke into teams, adding the competitive element only piqued their interest even more. Before long, those that didn’t consider themselves “car people” or “mechanically inclined” were right in the thick of each activity. They were constantly looking for opportunities to make what they were working on even better. In one case, two music students leveraged their creativity to modify a platform—encouraging their classmates to work together to find an entirely different solution.

“Everyone wants to win. Even for kids that aren’t outwardly competitive, they have a chance to measure improvement with their team. Every group gets to experience success and see improvement,” Ron commented.

One AP physics student was already thinking about how he would apply what he’s learned through the new AWIM curriculum during the next MEV Competition held annually in Detroit. With his newly 3D printed chassis proudly in hand, he talked about adding strips to the wheels to provide better traction and how to generate more power. With the new design, he hopes his team will be able to double their wins. 

Whether high school students want to compete in an MEV competition or just learn more about how EVs work, teacher feedback from the national pilot has been incredibly positive. Teachers reported students learning engineering concepts, especially the idea of troubleshooting and testing, as well as science concepts. Teachers also reported students learning to work together in groups and sharing roles and responsibilities.

“The practical application for math, calculus, chemistry, and physics is fantastic! Students also get to learn about renewable energy. Even if teacher doesn’t have a circuits or chemistry background, I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t find value in it in the classroom.” Schaffner added.

With pilot testing now successfully complete, the new AWIM Powered Up! The Electric Vehicles Challenge Suite is set to launch spring 2025 and be available for classroom implementation by this fall.