A party sub of innovation

Each year, students from across the country head to Texas Motor Speedway to race solar-powered cars. They design their own cars and bring them to Fort Worth to race across Texas.

After spending so much time with the world's braintrust this month, I deduced this fella would likely lead me to the teams:

I pulled up to the garages and started interrupting students who had spent years researching and building these cars. A total of 24 teams participated; ten from Texas and the other 14 from six other states as far away as California and Florida.

Loyal Scaiaholics will recall my rich history maintaining my own car, so a car that runs on sunlight sounds wonderfully reliable. During the day, of course. But part of the students' work included learning how to make plans and back-up plans in case a route got too cloudy.

They had to look at the weather and make sure, if there was going to be a cloudy stretch, they had enough time on the battery back-up, especially if they'd have to traverse hilly spots and use energy going uphill.

Students spent years designing the cars. Some had been coming long enough they were improving on designs from previous classes.

Others included nods to classic cinema.

Lehman Marks launched the Solar Car Challenge in 1995. When he started, he said "There was no such thing as STEM."

He said he took some students to the University of North Texas to see a solar car, and on the way back, they were all yelling, "Doc, can't we please build a solar car?!"

Here I'm learning how I was different as a student. I used high school to innovate as well, just in a different way. Instead of engineering a solar car, I convinced a teacher to let me order a giant sub, leave school to pick it up and invite the girls from the art class across the hall for a mixer.

Though Marks does point out the Solar Car Challenge prompts kids to work as a team among all disciplines. Some design the car, some figure out the logistics and materials they need to put it together. But then they still have to write budgets, put together fundraisers and pitches for corporate sponsorships.

"So what you're saying is you'd like me to show these kids the importance of the giant sub in networking," I posited.

More substantially, he suggested the challenge helps kids learn a variety of tools they'll need no matter what discipline they choose as adults.

They had to learn to solve problems. This team from California had to build their car but then figure out what parts they could keep together and what they should take apart for the trip to Texas and reassemble at the speedway.

Marks says part of the allure of the Solar Car Challenge is showing kids they can try and fail, saying no matter what career they choose, the ability to adjust and learn from failure can help them succeed.

He used me as an example. I had grown weary with my work, but I needed a while to adjust to the idea of not going to a radio job every day like I had for 20 years. Now, the podcast has gained some momentum (It's also gained momentum on Spotify!), but I'm still learning the ropes of a new craft.

While the teams got their cars ready, the Dallas Brass Band rocked out near pit row. If they'd like to start playing uplifting music when I sit down to work on podcasts, that'd be cool with me. I could even bring them into the newsroom on days I'm filling in for an anchor.

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These 24 teams ran their cars 634 miles over five days, arriving in Fort Stockton Tuesday. A team from Palm Beach County, Florida won the Classic Division. The Iron Lions of Greenville, Texas are pictured above. They won the Advanced Division.

Some have spent years improving on previous classes' work. Marks says projects like this can help kids build confidence by showing them they can succeed after a failure.

I, meanwhile, improved on the giant sub mixer by also convincing the same teacher (this was senior year, mind you) to let us order pizza and have the art class come back over. We also had to solve a problem on the fly: I had given the delivery guy clear instructions to bring the pizzas to the annex, not the main office.

While I waited outside, one of the other teachers shouted out the window they were calling my name on the PA. I walked into the main office and saw the assistant principal sitting there next to several pizza boxes.

I innovated, explaining this was part of a team-building activity learning conversational German. He released the pizzas, but for some reason, our teacher did not allow any more galas.