Please join us on January 18-19, 2020 for a live webcast of the Specialty Workshop. The video below will be live when the workshop is occurring. See below for the workshop agenda.

For questions, please text 214-354-9165 with what you would like to ask the presenter.

2020 Specialty Workshop Agenda
Saturday, January 18, 2020
8:30 AM Welcome, and Overview of the 2020 Solar Car Challenge
Dr. Lehman Marks, Race Director & Founder, Solar Car Challenge Foundation
9:00 AM Building Solar Cars [Materials Technology]
Where to find materials for the Solar Car Project

Joel Pitts, Team Advisor to the Greenville High School Solar Car Team
9:45 AM The Important Role of the Solar Car Team Captain
Triton Shoup, Captain of the Winston Solar Car Team
Coffee
10:30 AM The Importance of Reliable Mechanical Diagrams and Schematics
A Discussion of Solid Edge, Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software
Kyle Ayuda, Portfolio Development Executive, Solid Edge, Siemens

Links:
- Case Study/Article
- Free download to 3D CAD Solid Edge
- Spatial Thinking/Conceptional Blending Curriculum - Teaching math, geometry and engineering following a creative approach. Exciting students for engineering
11:15 AM The Importance of Information Technology and Telemetry in Solar Cars
Will Jones, Former Captain of the Okemos Solar Car Team
Eric Andrechek, Captain of the Okemos Solar Car Team, Okemos, Michigan

Additional Comments
Jarrett Dunn, Solar Car Challenge Operations Officer
  Concurrent Session in Guadalupe Room
Demonstration of Siemens Solid Edge Software

Muhammad Sajjad, Siemens Digital Industries Software
Students should bring their laptop and a mouse!
11:45 PM The Importance of Public Relating Your Team
Michael Foree, Solar Car Challenge Public Affairs Officer
12:00 PM Lunch on your own
1:30 PM Use of Telemetry by the Prosper Hgih School Solar Car Team
Enrique Elias, Team Advisor, Prosper High School Solar Car Team
2:00 PM The Prosper High School Solar Car Team
Presentation by the Prosper High School Team, Prosper, Texas
2:30 PM The Importance of Battery Connections in the Solar Car Battery Box
Enrique Elias, Prosper High School Solar Car Team Advisor
Chris Jones, Chief Race Judge
Jarrett Dunn, Solar Car Challenge Operations Officer
3:30 PM The Importance of Solar Car Project Management
William Shih, Deputy Race Director
4:00 PM How to Keep Students and Parents Invested in the Solar Car Project
Dr. Lehman Marks, Race Director and Founder
Sunday, January 19, 2020
9:00 AM Building the Vehicle Frame
William Shih, Deputy Race Director
   Materials
   Roll bar and crush zones
   Wheels and Brakes
   Frame Design & Steering
9:45 AM Special Look at Solar Car Suspensions
Jarrett Dunn, Race Operations Director, Member of the Race Technology Board
10:30 AM Powering the Solar Car
Keith Reese, Houston High School Solar Team Advisor (retired)
William Shih, Deputy Race Director

Photovoltaic Array
   How much energy do you need?
   Prefabricated commercial panels vs. custom order panels
   Raw cells and lamination
   Do-it-yourself arrays
   Getting energy to the batteries
   Power trackers
Electric Motors
   Brushed motors and their controllers
   Brushless motors and their controllers
   Hub motors and their controllers
Batteries
   Figuring ot the kW/h total
   Battery testing
Wheels & Tires
   Tire Selection
   Gearing
11:15 AM Power Management - How to get the most out of your Solar Car
William Shih, Deputy Race Director
Keith Reese, Houston High School Solar Team Advisor (retired)
Input v. Output - what you really get from your panel vs. what you will use going down the road. The importance of communications with your solar car driver.
12:00 PM Lunch on your own
12:45 PM The Importance of Community Outreach
The Winston High School Solar Car Team, Dallas, Texas
1:30 PM Aerodynamics
William Shih, Deputy Race Director, Solar Car Challenge
   Go farther on less!
   Simple ideas that make your care more efficient:
   Rolling resistance (tires and bearings)
   Reducing the weight of your car with composite materials
   Simple body aerodynamics (fairings and coverings)
   Complex body aerodynamics (full-size bodies)

How to Build a Carbon-Fiber Body video
2:30 PM Rules for the 2020 Solar Car Challenge - How the Race will Operate!
Dr. Lehman Marks, Race Director, Solar Car Challenge
William Shih, Deputy Race Director, Solar Car Challenge Foundation

The Importance of Team Oral Presentation and the Scrapbook
Dr. Lehman Marks, Race Director
3:15 PM How to Pass Scrutineering
Taylor Davis, Interim Race Technical Director
4:00 PM Focus on Race Safety and Amateur Radio
Amateur Radio Opportunities through the Solar Car Challenge

Dr. Lehman Marks, Race Director
Fred Varian, Race Safety Officer

Workshop Presenters

Dr. Lehman Marks
Race Director and Founder, Solar Car Challenge Foundation
Former Advisor to the Winston Solar Car Team
Plano, Texas

William Shih
Deputy Race Director
Solar Car Challenge Foundation Board Member
Former Advisor to the Walnut Solar Car Team
Whittier, California

Chris Jones
Chief Race Judge
Solar Car Challenge Foundation Board Member
Covina, California

Jarrett Dunn
Race Operations Director
Technology Board Director
Kaneohe, Hawaii

Michael Foree
Race Public Relations & Communications Officer
Solar Car Challenge Foundation Board Member
Dallas, Texas

John King
Executive Assistant to the Race Director - Staff
University of Texas Arlington
Dallas, Texas

Taylor Davis
Interim Race Technical Director
Former Team Captain, Ben Barber Solar Car Team
Mansfield, Texas

Keith Reese
Faculty Advisor, Houston High School Solar Car Team (retired)
Houston, Mississippi

Joel Pitts
Faculty Advisor, Greenville High School Solar Car Team
Greenville, Texas

Enrique Elias
Faculty Advisor, Prosper High School Solar Car Team
Prosper, Texas

Charlene Olson
Faculty Advisor, Winston School Solar Car Team
Dallas, Texas

Kyle Ayuda
Portfolio Development Executive, Siemens Solid Edge
Fort Worth, Texas

Muhammad Sajjad
Siemens Digital Software
Dallas, Texas

Lucas Duduit
Former Captain of the Pana HS Solar Car Team
Pana, Illinois

Will Jones
Former Captain of the Okemos Solar Car Team
Okemos, Michigan
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Eric Andrechek
Captain of the Okemos Solar Car Team
Okemos, Michigan

Fred Varian
Solar Car Challenge Race Communication & Safety Officer
Plano, Texas

Workshop Presentations
Rules for the 2020 Solar Car Challenge (1.4 MB)
Presented by William Shih - January 19, 2020
Specialty Workshop, updated for 2020 (37.6 MB)
Presented by William Shih - January 19, 2020
Electrical Safety (25.6 MB)
Presented by Jarrett Dunn - January 18, 2020
The Importance of Public Relating Your Team (1.1 MB)
Presented by Michael Foree - January 18, 2020
The Importance of Information Technology and Telemetry in Solar Cars (8.2 MB)
Presented by Will Jones and Eric Andrechek - January 18, 2020
The Importance of Reliable Mechanical Diagrams and Schematics (1.5 GB)
Presented by Kyle Aruda, Ali Nadimi - January 18, 2020
Where to Find Materials for the Solar Car Project (3.16 MB)
Presented by Joel Pitts - January 18, 2020
Welcome, and Overview of the 2020 Solar Car Challenge (30.6 MB)
Presented by Dr. Lehman Marks - January 18, 2020
How to Pass Scrutineering (8.7 MB)
Presented by Taylor Davis - January 20, 2019
Rules for the 2019 Solar Car Challenge (1.1 MB)
Presented by William Shih - January 20, 2019
Specialty Workshop, updated for 2019 (40.3 MB)
Presented by William Shih - January 19-20, 2019
Solar Car Suspension (2.2 MB)
Presented by Jarrett Dunn - January 19, 2019
Solar Car Challenge Telemetry (2.8 MB)
Presented by Jarrett Dunn - January 19, 2019
All Saints' Pi-Top Telemetry System (197 KB)
Handout: All Saints' Pi-Top Standard Operating Procedure (272 KB)
Presented by Joseph Smat & Matthew Mildren, All Saints Solar Car Team - January 19, 2019
Information Systems (11.0 MB)
Presented by Jarrett Dunn - January 19, 2019
The Importance of Reliable Mechanical Diagrams and Schematics (3 MB)
Presented by Kyle Aruda, Ali Nadimi - January 19, 2019
Where to Find Materials for the Solar Car Project (3.02 MB)
Presented by Joel Pitts - January 19, 2019
New Teams Workshop (Mini-Course in Mechanical/Electrical Engineering) (19.4 MB)
Presented at New Teams Workshop - September 15, 2018
Welcome to the 2018-2019 Solar Car Challenge (18.8 MB)
Presented at New Teams Workshop - September 15, 2018
2018 Solar Car Design Considerations (2.2 MB)
Presented at New Teams Workshop - September 9, 2017
Taking a Top and Bottom Mold of MIT (44.3 MB)
Presented by Lee Cabe, Advisor, NFA Solar Racing Team - February 3, 2007

New Teams Workshop Agenda
Hosted by Texas Instruments
9:00 AM Welcome to the New Teams Workshop
What's ahead for the Solar Car Challenge in 2020 and 2021

Solar Car Challenge Philosophy
Presented by Dr. Lehman Marks

9:30 AM How to Develop Your Team
Discussion led by Dr. Lehman Marks
  • What type of organization works best?
  • What is the right size of the team?
  • How do I get the team and parents vested in the project?

The Importance of a Team Calendar, Budget, and Suppliers
Presented by Dr. Lehman Marks

The Role of the Team Captain
Presented by several former team captains

The Significance of Upcoming Workshops
Presented by Dr. Lehman Marks

10:15 AM 2020 Race Rules and the Race at the Texas Motor Speedway
Presented by Dr. Lehman Marks

What it's like to Build a Solar Car: A Solar Car Team Captain's View
Presented by Will Jones, Captain, Okemos Solar Car Team (Michigan)

The Scrutineering Process
Presented by Dr. Lehman Marks

11:30 AM Meet the Liberty Christian Solar Car Team
And see their solar car
1:30 PM Mini-course in Mechanical Engineering
Construction, Materials Technology, and Aerodynamics

"The value of Tenacity and Learning from your Mistakes"

2:15 PM Mini-course in Electrical Engineering
Solar car electrical systems, battery technology, and safety issues.
3:00 PM The Importance of Telemetry for Information Analysis
How to improve the efficiency of your race car through good telemetry
3:30 PM The NEW Importance of Oral Presentation & Team Scrapbook
New Guidelines require presentations to include Team Engineering Decision