4-H Delivers

National Youth Science Day Events-Siskiyou County

The Issue:
The United States consumes 22% of the world's electricity and most of that energy comes from nonrenewable resources. As the nation adjusts to try to limit its dependence on fossil fuels, power a growing country, and find more renewable clean energy sources, the interest in wind power has increased. Today, wind power is the fastest growing source of renewable energy. However, most youth have not been introduced to the process that scientists and engineers undertake while designing new energy sources such as wind turbines. 

 

What has 4-H Done?:
Now in the fourth year of 4-H's national One Million New Scientists. One Million New Ideas campaign 4-H has created a hands-on introduction to the engineering design process utilizing renewable energy as the focus. The 2011 National Science Experiment, Wired for Wind, allows students to work through the design process while learning the basic principles of creating a wind turbine. In Siskiyou County, members and leaders partnered with three schools to provide classroom enrichment programs and afterschool collaborations that allowed 4-H to share this experiment with over 160 youth.  In addition, the experiment was shared with an additional 30 4-H members at club programs and during the annual Achievement Night event. 

 

The Payoff:
4-H members advanced their leadership skills by training to be Teen Teachers or Design Team Experts and sharing the National 4-H Experiment with school programs. Furthermore, the 160+ youth reached with the Wired for Wind experiment have gained a hands-on knowledge about the engineering process and an understanding for utilizing renewable energy sources.