4-H Delivers

Riverside County 4-H National Youth Science Day- The Power of Wind

The Issue:
Wind power may be a very important source of electricity in the future. However, properly harnessing that power takes creativity and innovation. Experimenting with the power of wind fosters creativity and innovation, while also getting youth interested in science, engineering, and technology (SET).  Riverside County 4-H provided several opportunities for the young and old to have fun experimenting with the power of wind. 

What has 4-H Done?:
Three events were provided for people living in and around Riverside County to participate in the National Youth Science Day (NYSD) experiment.  First, the Riverside County SET committee hosted an NYSD event at the County Library.  Next, the SET committee hosted a booth at the Fair during the school field trip day. Finally, the experiment was taken to a Riverside Area Home Learner park day. At each event, community members of various ages experimented with turbine blades to determine what size, shape, and tilt angle of blade worked best. There was a lot of creativity with many of the participants and some very interesting shapes and sizes of blades were tested. To determine which blades and angles worked best, a voltmeter was used to measure the voltage output achieved when the turbine was placed in front of a fan. 

The Payoff:
4-H and the National Youth Science Day were promoted throughout the county. Youth and adults learned about wind, turbines, blades, voltmeters, and the power wind can posses from even a small fan. Furthermore, it was a valuable learning experience to see that the experiment did not always turn out as expected.