Kleinschmidt Windstorm Challenge, Maine Wind Blade Challenge Slated for May 19, 2017

More than 250 students are expected to participate in two middle- and high-school STEM competitions May 19 at the University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center: the Kleinschmidt Windstorm Challenge and the 9th Annual Maine Wind Blade Challenge.

The competitions, which showcase real-world, hands-on STEM innovation by middle school and high school students — will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m..

The Kleinschmidt Windstorm Challenge engages students in floating offshore wind technology, innovation, and business. The competition will be held in the center’s Alfond W2 Ocean Engineering Laboratory.  The challenge asks teams of high school students work together to design and construct a scale-model floating wind turbine platform, subject the design to testing, and deliver a business plan and sales pitch to a panel of expert judges.

The Maine Wind Blade Challenge is a program of the Maine Composites Alliance and the Maine Ocean and Wind Industry Initiative. This challenge connects teams of middle and high school students with composites companies to construct and infuse a functional set of wind blades. Each team’s goal is to manufacture an assembly that will generate the most energy in 3 minutes or less.

For more information, please contact Meghan Collins at (207) 581-2117.