INLAND EMPIRE, CA – At today’s Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) Board meeting, three local high schools were recognized for their achievements for participating in this school year’s Solar Cup™ Program, a Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) sponsored education program.
Solar Cup™ is a STEAM-focused education program in which high school teams, sponsored by MWD and its member agencies, compete in various challenges that cover a wide range of STEAM fields. This year’s program consisted of seven challenges including building a water-saving device combined with robotics, creating a zero-emission vehicle, utilizing CAD software, learning basics of electronics and circuits, creating a water conservation campaign, and more.
“Solar Cup™ presents a unique opportunity for students to learn about water conservation and renewable energy, subject matters of significant value in today’s world,” stated IEUA Board President Steve Elie. “These students are the future of our industry, and their talent is exemplified in each recognition and award received.”
This program year, IEUA co-sponsored three local high schools: Chino Hills High School co-sponsored by the city of Chino Hills, Colony High School co-sponsored by the city of Ontario, and Upland High School co-sponsored by the city of Upland. A total of 15 teams throughout Southern California participated in this year’s program.
“This innovative program provides valuable learning experiences for all participants, including the development of team-building and problem-solving skills,” stated IEUA Board Vice President and MWD Board member Michael Camacho. “Each team successfully displayed their knowledge of STEAM criteria while also emphasizing the importance of conservation and sustainability. The success of the students’ hard work, creativity and determination is extremely encouraging.”
This year, award categories were separated by region, recognizing schools who scored the highest in each challenge. Cumulatively, the schools within IEUA’s service area received a total of 16 awards. The rankings for this year’s competition are as follows:
Onshape Challenge
1st place (tie)- Chino Hills High School and Colony High School
2nd place- Upland High School
Electronics Challenge
1st place- Chino Hills High School
2nd place- Upland High School
Solar Panel Challenge
1st place- Chino Hills High School
Green Careers Challenge (All Regions)
1st place- Chino Hills High School (tie)
Spirit of Solar Cup Bart Bezyack Award (All Regions)
1st place- Chino Hills High School (tie)
Public Outreach Challenge
1st place- Chino Hills High School
2nd place- Colony High School
Robot Powered Conservation Device Challenge
1st place- Chino Hills High School
2nd place- Colony High School
Zero Emission Vehicle Challenge
1st place- Colony High School
2nd place- Chino Hills High School
Document It Extra Credit Challenge
1st place (tie)- Chino Hills High School and Colony High School
“IEUA is proud to be a co-sponsor to each of these schools and to have the opportunity to witness creativity develop among each participant. The students in this year’s program have shown a tremendous amount of passion, resiliency, dedication, and teamwork,” continued Elie. “Congratulations to each of them on a wonderful program year.”