Pictures: High School "ShopGirls" Design for the Prize

Start Your Engines

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

The Granite Falls High School ShopGirls make final preparations to test-drive the fuel-efficient vehicle they helped design and build.

While all six members of the ShopGirls team have worked throughout the school year to build the car, only two actually drive in the competition. The others will work as a pit crew and will communicate to the driver via hand-held walkie talkies. The driver will communicate through  a voice-activated microphone that is inside the car.

Here, team member Semira Kern holds a walkie-talkie to test the communication system with driver Shante Stowell. Team member Katie Jackson and volunteer Curtis Sullivan look on.

(Related: "Even Modest Increases in MPG Can Equal Big Gas Savings")

Published April 7, 2011

Cruising by the Courts

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

Building a homemade high-efficiency vehicle that runs on diesel fuel instead of gasoline is not an easy undertaking. Mass-market diesel-powered vehicles—more popular in Europe than the United States—get better mileage than gasoline-powered spark-ignition engines, due to their higher thermal efficiency. But it's hard in a school shop to duplicate the commercial designs, including turbo-charging, that regulate how air reaches the combustion system.

To increase their car's fuel efficiency, the ShopGirls have made plenty of tweaks, adjustments, and wholesale modifications since last year's competition, including changing the front brakes from mechanical to hydraulic so there will be less drag.

During this test run, driver Shante Stowell is practicing turning the car off and on to allow the car to roll some distance without burning fuel.

(Related: "Hybrid Cars Losing Efficiency, Adding Oomph")

Published April 7, 2011

Team Spirit

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

Minimizing exhaust, as sketched in this whiteboard drawing, is the goal of Granite Falls High School's two "Eco-teams," the ShopGirls and a coed team called UrbanAutos. Both groups of students are preparing to compete in the Shell Eco-marathon.

UrbanAutos is entering a car in the "urban concept" car category, which was first introduced at the Shell Eco-marathon in 2009. The 15 teams in this category must build cars that would actually prove roadworthy; they look like small "smart cars." The ShopGirls' car, on the other hand, is among the  majority of entries in the  so-called "prototype" category; students concentrate on making the vehicles light and aerodynamic without any concern over whether they would be safe to drive on actual roads in traffic.

While Granite Falls' program is in just its third year—the first year a group of girls went to observe the race—it is already garnering national attention as a model for career and technical education (CTE).

(Related: "A Fuel-Saving Car Engine in the Blink of an Iris")

Published April 7, 2011

Setting Lofty Goals

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

Teacher Michael Werner confers with team member Semira Kern during a pizza break, with a reminder of the ShopGirls' goal—678 miles per gallon—looming on a sign overhead.

The ShopGirls garnered a lot of attention last year when the team (five of the six members are returning from last year) earned first place in the diesel vehicle category and third place in safety. A total of 42 teams competed, most of them college teams. Both achievements came with cash prizes ($1,000 for the win, $500 for the safety prize) and plenty of accolades. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan even singled out the team for praise in a speech on the importance of career and technology education.

The team's goal is to break the Shell Eco-marathon Americas record for diesel fuel efficiency by 100 mpg.

(Related: "Paths to the Future: Amory Lovins, Efficiency Advocate")

Published April 7, 2011

A Reminder of Others

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

A pink and green insert for the center hub of the UrbanAutos team's vehicle is there to remind members of the ShopGirls, fellow Eco-marathon competitors who have painted their car pink and green.

The two Eco-teams from Granite Falls High School work side by side in the shop and support each other throughout the school year, sometimes leaving notes with encouraging words hidden in each other's cars.

This steering hub has numerous holes to reduce its weight. The UrbanAutos team was not able to compete in its category in last year's competition because the car was too heavy. This year they have drilled holes throughout the framing to help lighten it.

(Related: "Car Buying Guide")

Published April 7, 2011

Endurance and Persistence

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

After a test drive, ShopGirl driver Shante Stowell packs up the Iron Maiden communications gear with teammates Katie Jackson and Semira Kern. While succeeding at the competition is the immediate goal for the ShopGirls, there are lessons they will take into the future, especially about the need for alternative sources of energy.

"We're teenagers and when we grow up we're going to have this problem later," said Pooja Sethi. "We're going to have to be the ones to fix it so it's good that we're getting a head start on it right now rather than waiting."

Sethi plans to study engineering or medicine when she goes to college. Either way she says she's grown as a person from being a ShopGirl. "This is something that lasts for a whole year and there's a lot of challenges that come with it," she said. "I think that its overcoming those challenges and enduring them that kind of helped me learn how to do that."

Published April 7, 2011

Nontraditional Roles

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

ShopGirls Shante Stowell, left, Semira Kern, and Katie Jackson heft their vehicle as volunteers Aron Scalf and Curtis Sullivan slide sawhorses into place.

The ShopGirls will be expected to manage all aspects of the car during the Shell Eco-marathon competition. In the shop, they take full responsibility for the vehicle.

The Eco-team program got off the ground with a $10,000 grant from the state superintendent's office for women in nontraditional roles.

Published April 7, 2011

Hard Learning Made Fun

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

ShopGirls Katie Jackson, from left, and Semira Kern, and UrbanAutos team member Brooke Nicholson discover some glue has dribbled onto the Iron Maiden body, marring the  finish, which they blame—with good humor—on their teacher, Michael Werner.

Werner, in fact, is known as a stickler for good workmanship. If parts are not built correctly, the students must start over and do the work again.

Werner says the ShopGirls tend to be excellent students who excel at academics. The skills he is teaching them are not easily acquired and often they fail before they get it right. He describes it as, "very hard learning made fun."

Published April 7, 2011

Leading by Example

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

With Werner's guidance, the students design and build the cars, spending countless hours wielding tools and learning the intricate details of car manufacturing.

Werner's background uniquely suited him to lead this unusual high school program. He grew up in Switzerland and attended the Swiss Air Force Technical School, where he gained skills and an appreciation for hands-on manufacturing.

Before becoming a teacher eight years ago, he fixed endurance race cars and restored vintage airplanes. He's taught at Great Falls for four years.

Published April 7, 2011

Filling the Tank

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

Shell, the sponsor of the Eco-marathon, provides a standard fuel tank and fuel for the competition. The company enforces a number of rules, most important regarding safety features of the vehicles. Drivers also must wear gloves and helmets and have adequate seat restraints; even though the average speed is about 15 miles per hour, cars have been known to roll on curves in the competition.

Shell is planning to host three Eco-marathon competitions in 2011. In addition to the Americas race in Houston, a European competition is set for May in Lausitz, Germany, and second-ever Shell Eco-marathon Asia is to take place in July in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Published April 7, 2011

Some Friendly Advice

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

ShopGirl Shante Stowell offers tips to Iron Maiden driver Sara Rood as she prepares for test runs around Granite Falls High School. All six members of the ShopGirls spent a Saturday test-driving the Iron Maiden. Since the previous test run, they had painted and installed the hood over the engine.

Being part of the ShopGirls or UrbanAutos, the school's other Eco-team, has meant coming to school every day at 6:30 a.m. to work on in the shop for an hour before the regular school day begins. The students also come in twice a week after school and sometimes on the weekends.

Working together has built strong friendships among the students, who are in different grades. "I think what's been surprising is mostly the friends I've made," said Shante Stowell. "Spending three hours a day in the shop with someone makes you really close to them."

Published April 7, 2011

Local Heroes

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

The Iron Maiden whizzes by Granite Falls High School on a practice lap on a quiet Saturday morning.

The high school is located in Granite Falls, Washington, in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, at one end of the Scenic Mountain Loop Highway, a popular tourist destination. Granite Falls is home to 3,400 residents, and 640 students attend the school, which is housed in a new building that opened in January 2008. At the end of the school day, Principal Eric Cahan stands at the front door greeting visitors and talking with students.

The achievements of the school's Eco-marathon teams have garnered national attention for Granite High School's career and technical education program, which includes classes in manufacturing, technology, and health careers.

Published April 7, 2011

Every Bit Matters

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

ShopGirls Sara Rood, left, and Katie Jackson check the alignment of the rear wheel of the Iron Maiden. It's an adjustment that could make a big difference in how efficiently the car will move. If there is too much torque, the driver will need to use energy to keep the car on track.

Working on the project has raised awareness among the team members about fuel efficiency. "When I get in my car I notice a lot more how much fuel my car is using," said Shante Stowell. "When I press the brake pedal I notice that's wasting one more little bit of fuel. It makes me think about that a lot more now."

Instructor Michael Werner, a diesel car driver, thinks the diesel engine challenge has been good for the students in part because it can help raise awareness of diesel as an alternative fuel.

Published April 7, 2011

Testing Mode

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

The ShopGirls coast the car down a ramp to test alignment and to look for ways to improve the efficiency of the drive train.

To test the alignment, students stretched a straight cord across the gym to see if the car would roll off-center while coasting and to check the distance the car would roll. There was no driver in the car during the tests.

Published April 7, 2011

A Personal Touch

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

Each of the two ShopGirls drivers, Shante Stowell and Sara Rood, has her own foam foot pad, and they swap them out as they take turns driving the vehicle. This isn't just to personalize the equipment, but to allow for the difference in their heights, as both girls will have to lie flat in the vehicle.

The car is built to be as aerodynamic as possible for maximum fuel efficiency. The driver's head rests on a small cushion so it's tilted up for visibility.

Since last year's competition, the team has moved numerous parts that were on the outside of the car to the interior.

Published April 7, 2011

A Dance to the Finish Line

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

While the ShopGirls devote much of their time and energy to the Eco-team, they have other outside interests and activities. Semira Kern, for example, on the right finishing a pirouette with the help of teammate Shante Stowell, is a dancer and loves music.

Her interest in working on the car came in part from her love of working with her hands. She first learned about the ShopGirls when she was in middle school and the team gave a presentation where she was allowed to work with small foam models that the team uses to test aerodynamics.

"I've always liked working with my hands and seeing the final project, so it's kind of like a big arts and crafts project for me," she said. "A very complex arts and crafts project."

Published April 7, 2011

Off to Work

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

After completing a test drive, ShopGirl driver Sara Rood coasts the Iron Maiden to the school's gymnasium, where team members planned to perform additional tests on the car.

Rood ran the car ten laps around the perimeter of the school, practicing turning the engine on and off while she drove, to allow the car maximum ability to coast. This method will save energy during the competition.

According to the team website, this year Rood has been in charge of realigning the steering, testing factors such as tire pressure and how straight the car actually rolls, and straightening out the rear wheel. She is also working on modifying the drivetrain so it is more efficient and aligned correctly.

Published April 7, 2011

Not Ready for Prime Time

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

Granite Falls' UrbanAutos team gives teacher Werner an honorary ride around the school track, even though the car is still without brakes or a transmission.

UrbanAutos plans to enter a car in the "urban concept" car category, which was first introduced at the Shell Eco-marathon in 2009. The 15 teams in this category must build cars that would actually prove roadworthy; they look like small "smart cars."

Shell requires that cars in this category include a firewall between the engine and the driver. Behind Werner, a plywood board in the shape of a man is standing in for UrbanAutos' firewall feature until the car is complete.

Published April 7, 2011

It Takes Teamwork

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

Pooja Sethi, left, Hoa Nguyen, Shante Stowell, driver Sara Rood, Katie Jackson, and Semira Kern run a lap on the school track with the Iron Maiden. ShopGirls members said that learning about teamwork has been a big part of the challenge and reward of working on the project.

"At the beginning of the year we weren’t really working together so we didn’t know what everyone else was doing," said Sethi. "It was just us working on our own things and then at the end of the year when the car had to be put together we all had to come together to work as a team to do that."

"After being separated and doing your own thing for so long, it was really hard to come with everybody and figure out how you want to arrange things and put things together so that it is actually a car."

Published April 7, 2011