When	What	Where
Saturday September 13, 2025 9am - 3:30pm	Teams Workshop	Trinity I DFW Marriott & Golf Club
Saturday-Sunday January 17-18, 2026	Specialty Workshop	Trinity Ballroom DFW Marriott & Golf Club

Who Should Attend?	Any interested teacher or student that wants to build a high school solar car project in preparation for a Solar Car Challenge race.
How Many Can Attend?	Please limit your attendance to no more than ten students per school.
How Much Does it Cost?	Nothing.
Is a Reservation Required?	Yes. Please fill out the reservation form no later than one week in advance of the workshop . Teams will receive a formal registration receipt (by return email) that will be their ticket of admission for the workshop, and put that group on a mailing list for workshop announcements. The Solar Car Challenge Foundation will not be responsible for students, teachers, or teams arriving at the workshop without a formal registration receipt.
When are the Workshops?	Scroll up to the top of this page for the dates and locations.
Do teachers get credit for attending the workshop?	The Solar Car Challenge is an official provider of CPE hours as authorized by the Texas Education Agency.

Please complete the following information to request a reservation for the Specialty Workshop no later than one week in advance.

Teacher Name
Teacher Email
Teacher Mobile Phone
School Name
School Address
Number Attending

9:00 AM	Welcome to the Teams Workshop and Race Philosophy What's ahead for the Solar Car Challenge in 2026
9:15 AM	How to Develop Your Team Presented by Dr. Lehman Marks, Race Director 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 Importance of Teaching Skills Necessary to build a solar car [Note upcoming "How-to-Build-It" Workshop] Where to find materials and suppliers for the solar car project
10:00 PM	Meet A Solar Car Team and see their Solar Car
10:20 AM	The Importance of Team Communications Presented by Christan Negratti, Race Ambassador and Board Member How to Setup a "Stand Alone" Solar Car Team Presented by Scott Sharp, Team Adviser for the Covenant Solar Car Team
11:15 AM	Mini-course in Mechanical Engineering Presented by Triton Shoup, Chief Technical Director, Solar Car Challenge
12:00 PM	Lunch Break
1:30 PM	Mini-course in Electrical Engineering Presented by Liam Hubbard, Electrical Lead Judge, Solar Car Challenge Station 2 Electrical Scrutineering - Common Issues & Good Practices Presented by Liam Hubbard, Electrical Lead Judge, Solar Car Challenge
2:15 PM	What to Expect from a Cross-Country Race and Race Auditing Presented by Brandon Ching, SCC Board Member and Chief Race Auditor
2:45 PM	Presentation of Rules for the 2026 Solar Car Challenge Presented by Matthew Bolding
3:30 PM	Brief Closing Comments Presented by Dr. Lehman Marks, Race Director

Saturday, January 17, 2026
8:00 AM	Welcome, and Overview of the 2026 Solar Car Challenge Dr. Lehman Marks, Race Director & Founder, Solar Car Challenge Foundation
8:30 AM	KEYNOTE SPEECH: Peter Balyta, PhD - "Inspiring Students in STEM" (pdf) President, Fortune 200 Business; President of Texas Instruments (ret.)
9:00 AM	How to Start Your Solar Car Team and Promote Your Project (pdf, video) Brent Dragoo, PhD, Team Advisor to the Liberty Christian Solar Car Team Professor, Baylor University
9:30 AM	The Philosophy of Building and Operating a Solar Car (pdf) Caden Pong, Team Captain, Seattle Solar Car Team
10:00 AM	Building Solar Cars [Materials Technology] Where to find materials for the Solar Car Project (pdf, video) Joel Pitts, Team Advisor to the Greenville High School Solar Car Team, Texas
10:30 AM	The Importance of Reliable Mechanical Diagrams and Schematics: (pdf) Christian Negratti, Race Ambassador and Foundation Board Member, Solar Car Challenge
	Coffee Break
11:00 AM	Energy Modeling Optimization (pdf) The Process of Using Telemetry to Its Fullest Potential Shannon Caraway, Team Adviser, Covenant Cougars Solar Car Team
11:45 AM	Meet the Wylie East Solar Car Team and see their Solar Car
	Lunch Break
1:30 PM	What I have learned is key to thriving in the Solar Car Challenge since 1997 (pdf) Allan Phipps, Adviser to Team Tech Garage, Ph.D. Candidate
1:45 PM	Aerodynamics (pdf) Triton Shoup, Race Technical Director Go farther on less! Simple ideas that make your car 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)
2:15 PM	What Happens to Students Taking Part in the Solar Car Challenge (canva) Allan Phipps, Adviser to Team Tech Garage, Ph.D. Candidate
2:30 PM	The 2026 Solar Car Challenge - A Cross-Country Adventure (pdf) Dr. Lehman Marks, Race Director
3:15 PM	How to Drive the Hills in a Cross-Country Race (canva) Keith Reese, Adviser to the Houston, Mississippi Solar Car Team
	Coffee Break
4:00 PM	Project Management - Coordinating the Development of your Solar Car (pdf) William Shih, Deputy Race Director
4:45 PM	How to Calculate the 5G Vertical Load on your Roll Bar - [Rule 5.2.2.2] (pdf, Roll Bar Work Sheet) Chris Jones, Race Chief Judge
	Dinner Break
	CONCURRENT EVENING SESSIONS
7:15 PM	How to Build a Solar Car Location: Trinity Ballroom Mark Rose, Advisor to Multiple Solar Car Teams
7:15 PM	Mock Scrutineering with the Covenant Solar Car Team Location: In front of Convention Facility Coordinated by Triton Shoup, Chief Technical Director, Solar Car Challenge, and Liam Hubbard, Electrical Lead Judge, Solar Car Challenge
8:30 PM	Question & Answer Session with William Shih & Chris Jones Location: Trinity Ballroom An opportunity to discuss anything
Sunday, January 18, 2026
8:30 AM	Opening Keynote Presentation (pdf) MacKenzie Becker, SCC Board Member and Intern Coordinator
9:00 AM	Building the Vehicle Frame - Mechanical (pdf) Chris Jones, Chief Race Judge, Solar Car Challenge Foundation    Materials    Roll bar, crush zones, safety cell    Wheels and Brakes    Frame Design & Steering
9:40 AM	Oregon Solar Car Team Presentation (pdf) Tom Stueve (Team Adviser), Spencer Anderegg, and Ben Schner
	Coffee Break
10:30 AM	Powering the Solar Car (pdf) Liam Hubbard, Electrical Lead Judge, Solar Car Challenge 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 The Importance of Battery Connections in the Solar Car Battery Box
11:15 AM	How to Monitor, Maintain, and Test Solar Car Batteries (pdf) Charlie Livingston, Engineer at Texas Instruments, Ret.
	Lunch Break
1:15 PM	Team Work and Setting Priorities (pdf) Christian Negratti, Race Ambassador and Board Member
1:45 PM	2026 Race Rules (pdf) William Shih, Deputy Race Director
2:15 PM	The Race Route for the 2026 Solar Car Challenge and What to Expect (pdf) Dr. Lehman Marks, Race Director

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
Lakewood, California

Chris Jones
Chief Race Judge
Solar Car Challenge Foundation Board Member
Mechanical Engineer, Northrop Grumman
Covina, California

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

Brent Dragoo, PhD
Faculty Adviser, Liberty Christian Academy Solar Car Team
Solar Car Challenge Teaching Adviser
Faculty, Baylor University, Waco, Texas

Shannon Caraway
Adviser to multiple Solar Car Teams
Former Adviser to Covenant Christian Academy Solar Car team
Colleyville, Texas

Brian Coleman
Faculty Adviser, Somerset High School Solar Car Team, Kentucky
Solar Car Challenge Teaching Adviser
Somerset, Kentucky

Keith Reese
Faculty Adviser, Houston Solar Car Team
Solar Car Driving Expert
Houston, Mississippi

MacKenzie Becker
Solar Car Challenge Foundation Board Member
Race Media Coordinator
Former Captain of the Coppell Solar Car Team
Duarte, California

Christian Negratti
Solar Car Challenge Foundation Board Member
Race Ambassador
Form Member of the Mansfield Solar Car Team
Port Arthur, Texas

Mark Rose
Solar Car Team Adviser
Mineral Wells, Texas

Charlie Livingston
Texas Instruments Engineer, Retired

Triton Shoup
Race Technical Director, Solar Car Challenge
Former Winston Solar Car Team Captain
Dallas, Texas

Liam Hubbard
Head Electrical Judge, Solar Car Challenge
Former Coppell Solar Car Team Captain
Coppell, Texas

Caden Pong
Captain, Seattle Solar Car Team

Tom Stueve
Team Advisor, Oregon Solar Car Team

Spencer Anderegg
Oregon Solar Car Team

Ben Schner
Oregon Solar Car Team

Copyright (c) 1995-2025 Lehman Marks. All Rights Reserved. Solar Car Challenge, 3505 Cassidy Drive, Plano, TX 75023 Questions about the challenge? Contact Dr. Lehman Marks, Event Director