Build the best wind blade using only cardboard, paper and wooden dowels. That was the goal assigned to students in the annual Wind Blade Challenge, an event hosted by the Jefferson-Lewis BOCES Engineering & Design program on March 11, 2022 at the Lewis County-Jefferson Community College Education Center in Lowville. This year’s event marked the first Wind Blade Challenge since 2020.
The competition was open to students in grades 6-9 in the region. A total of forty-one students took part, forming eleven teams. Competing were students from Lowville Academy, Beaver River, Copenhagen, Adirondack, and River Valley Mennonite School.
The students were tasked with building the best homemade wind blades which would be tested against each other. One testing station determined how much voltage the blades were able to produce while the second measured how fast the blades were able to lift a weight. Both tests involved placing the blades in front of a moving fan set at a predetermined speed.
The competing teams were given two chances at each testing station, allowing them the opportunity to make improvements to their blades and increase their final score. Each testing area was manned by students in the BOCES Engineering and Design program.
Taking second place were the team of 7th graders from River Valley Mennonite School, comprising of Antonio Coz-Sica, Stoan Miller, Gideon Moser, and Kristoph Sabsutch.
Taking third place were the team of 8th graders from Adirondack Central School, comprising of Wilt Sudduth, Jaden Redhead, Kirsten Cronisner, and Olivia Healt.
Each participant was given a Wind Blade Challenge t-shirt. All prizes were provided by Avangrid Renewables.
To view more photos from the Windblade Challenge, Visit our Facebook page.