About Building SPEED

The United States’ global competitiveness is jeopardized because we do not engage enough students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) study to prepare the next generation of STEM researchers and educators (or even a scientifically literate public). Shifting national population demographics–the majority of children born in the 21st Century will belong to groups currently underrepresented in STEM – make engaging people from diverse backgrounds even more crucial for the nation’s future. We address these issues via a combination of teacher research, development of engaging curricular materials that emphasize the applications of STEM to motorsports, and public science experiences that bring science to the race-going public.

Motivation

"Why do I have to learn this?"

"When am I ever going to use this?"

Building SPEED provides teachers with answers to these questions using motorsports to engage high-school math and physics/physical science students.

Understanding science is critical for people to make informed decisions about issues such as global warming, energy availability, and the rising costs of health care. Using cars and motorsports to teach topics required by the National and State Science Education Standards will help engage students in content matter, but and expose them to some of the more interesting careers in math, science and engineering.

 

The Project 

  • Showing Students the Role of Math and Science in Motorsports. Building SPEED materials show students how the math and science principles they are learning–the very same principles required by local, state and national science standards–have real-life applications. Motorsports is a perfect laboratory for math and science because you cannot win races without understanding math and science. Our research-based materials, developed using the Understanding By Design principles, also provide teachers with formative assessment to help them evaluate how well their students are learning the topics.
  • Improving Student Engagement. Many students lose interest in math and science because they don’t see how what the topics they are learning relate to them and their interests. A multitude of basic math and science principles can be illustrated with cars, and studying a car going 180 mph is just inherently more exciting than a car going 60 mph. Famous personalities and the drama of racing take math and science from the pages of textbooks to today’s news.
  • Career Paths in Math and Science. Every racing fan has seen ‘hero cards’, glossy pages that feature drivers and their statistics. To show students how math and science can provide a path to a career in motorsports (in which we include automotive and related support industries), Building SPEED hero cards feature mini profiles of people in motorsports industries who use math and science in their jobs. Education levels range from high school to Ph.D., and occupations from working with race teams to university researchers to driving race cars. Building SPEED hero cards will feature the full diversity of people in motorsports. 
  • Teacher Academies. Building SPEED materials will be disseminated through Teacher Academies, with the first two academies scheduled for Spring 09 in Charlotte, North Carolina and Dallas, Texas. A third Academy will be help in Dover, DE in Fall 09. Subsequent academies will be announced as they are scheduled.  Academies are held in two parts, with each part lasting approximately two days. The first session takes place at the host university and a local race track. Teachers learn about the philosophy and pedagogical basis of the materials, and have the opportunity to gain first hand experience at the race track. The second session occurs during a race weekend and gives teachers an opportunity to share their knowledge with race fans.
  • At The Track. The second part of the teacher academy includes an opportunity to attend a race, tour the garage and see the principles they’ve learned applied. A racing personality will give a brief welcome to the teachers, emphasizing the importance of teachers in our society.
  • Public Science Events. In partnership with local science museums, the teachers and their university hosts will bring math and science to the racetrack with exciting hands-on demonstrations and activities for race goers prior to the race. Stations will include information about the advanced materials used in the cars and tracks, opportunities to ‘beat the crew chief’ by calculating whether your driver can finish the race without running out of gas, and an explanation of why raising a car’s center of gravity makes it harder to turn. In addition to bringing math and science to an underserved audience, this event puts teachers at the center of attention, a spot they deserve, but rarely occupy.