Written by: Yessenia Henriquez/University of Nevada, Las Vegas
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas & College of Southern Nevada Battery Workforce Challenge team members recently went to a local elementary school and provided four 50-minute sessions on batteries for to fourth and fifth-graders.
Our team selected three hands-on activities to provide the students. They included a handmade aluminum air battery demo, where wet, activated charcoal is set on an aluminum sheet and a paper towel will turn on the motor to make it spin when connected. The team also showed students how to make a penny battery by soaking cardboard in salt-vinegar water mix, stacking pennies in a specific order and then putting an LED wire on the penny sandwich.
Lastly, the UNLV & CSN BattChallenge team showed students how to power a small toy car through two AA batteries and two alligator clips. The team thought this was a simple task, so it added a little twist challenge. After students were able to get their penny batteries to work with an LED, they could try to use that penny battery to power their car.
The BattChallenge team gained an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from the group of students. The crew members did a wonderful job giving a presentation on how to make a battery, and the students were attentive in listening.
One of the biggest reactions the UNLV & CSN team received during the hands-on activities was when powering the toy car with multiple groups racing each other’s cars towards the end of class.
One memorable quote a student made towards the end of class was asking when would the UNLV & CSN BattChallenge come back? That gave the crew a hugesense of accomplishment.
The UNLV & CSN BattChallenge team strives to encourage STEM education through its knowledgeable team members sharing their expertise and experiences. Not only do crew members gain a sense of accomplishment and enjoyment from participating in youth outreach events, but opportunities like this open a realm to a potential for students interested in learning more about STEM and chance to familiarize themselves with it as well as try these experiments at home so that the team can make a difference much larger than the BattChallenge competition itself. The UNLV & CSN BattChallenge team will strive to hold future youth outreach events for any K-12 level and hopes to make a difference for any student.
If interested in joining or learning more about the UNLV & CSN Battery Workforce Challenge team, or if you are a Las Vegas-area school interested in having the BattChallenge team visit your classroom, you may contact the UNLV & CSN BattChallenge team at battchallenge@unlv.edu.
