Super Secondary School Invitational at 2000 Annual Meeting

by Mary Rose Szoka de Valladeras
Students from the Heights School in Maryland and the Nysmith School for the Gifted in Virginia, both middle schools, participated in the Secondary School Invitational at the U.S. Hydrogen Meeting. As part of the activities, students made their own fuel cells from cardboard, styrofoam, pipe cleaners, and yarn, then combined them into stacks.
The DOE/NHA Secondary School Invitational 2000 was held in conjunction with the NHA Annual Conference in March, where it has become a featured attraction. Building on past success, this year’s Invitational hosted 100 middle school students from the metro Washington area for the premier global event in hydrogen education.

The genesis of the Secondary School Invitational was the Dr. Bob Show. Inspired by the experience of lifetime professional educator Dr. Robert Reeves, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Program created the Dr. Bob Show in 1996 to teach students about the properties and potential of hydrogen. M.R.S. Enterprises expanded the Dr. Bob Show into the DOE/NHA Secondary School Invitational. It has been a great pleasure to serve as host for this fun-filled event, now in its fourth year of production.

The Invitational format has evolved to include a live show and varied presentations in a morning plenary session, followed by rotating afternoon sessions of hands-on science with experiments and demonstrations. During the afternoon, students also enjoy a tour of exhibits at the NHA trade show. This year students visited the trade show after lunch and before the Invitational closing. The annual Invitational theme, always environmental in nature, acknowledges the Conference theme; this year’s was “The Universal Fuel.”

In 2000, middle school students from the Nysmith School for the Gifted in Virginia and the Heights School in Maryland participated in the Invitational, along with their teachers Diane Carlivati (Nysmith) and Andy Reed (Heights).

After a warm welcome from “coach” Neil Rossmeissl of the U.S. Department of Energy, the day’s activities began with a showing of Cognizant Film’s Renewable Power: Earth’s Clean Energy Destiny. This film provides both the vision and the context for a renewable hydrogen future. It was followed by our live science show, “What You Can’t See, Smell, or Taste Will Electrify You,” an interactive presentation on hydrogen as a global energy solution. Dr. Robert Reeves, also known as Dr. Bob, has passed the starring role in live science shows on to his science show partner, Jonathan Hurwitch of Sentech, Inc. This year’s show marked Hurwitch’s debut in the lead role, supported by Laura Kervitsky and Edward Eugeni. Hurwitch has consistently proven himself a talented performer who readily engages students in the learning process.

Dr. Jay Keller of Sandia National Laboratory in Livermore, California, demonstrated Red Thunder, the remote-control fuel cell vehicle powered by an H Power fuel cell in a Sandia-engineered and -integrated system. Ever a crowd pleaser, Red Thunder completely captured the students’ attention. Keller then skillfully employed their fascination to deepen the hydrogen and fuel cell learning experience. The students posed some thoughtful and sophisticated questions, clear evidence of constructive listening.

With the audience warmed up and ready for action, I introduced a lesson from the Clean Corridor Curriculum, the secondary school curriculum developed to teach students about hydrogen as a fuel and energy carrier. Using everyday materials, the “Make Your Own Fuel Cell Model” lesson was designed to teach students about the structure of a fuel cell assembly and the combination of fuel cell assemblies into a fuel cell stack. As preparation, fuel cell schematics were displayed and explained. Students were then briefed about assembly procedures for their fuel cell model kits. They went to work in small groups to assemble their colored cardboard bi-polar plates, styrofoam electrodes, and pipe cleaner circuit, as well as their yarn fuel inputs and by-product outputs. For fifteen minutes they puzzled over system integration. Then, each group unveiled its work to the Invitational. Group spokespersons shared “lessons learned” and officially added their group’s fuel cell to a fuel cell stack secured by straw dowels. Several complete “stacks” were developed in this exercise.

If it sounds like fun, you’re right; it was. It is precisely this kind of humorous, hands-on activity that contributes to learning retention. Student applause was used to select the “best” fuel-cell stack. While that fuel cell stack may not measure up to “codes and standards,” the learning experience created the foundation for future understanding and acceptance of precision-crafted, performance-oriented fuel cell technology.

At lunch, the Invitational didn’t miss a beat. Dr. Peter Lehman of the Schatz Energy Research Center at Humboldt (California) State University demonstrated a fuel cell dubbed the “Ice Cream Maker.” Schatz developed this fuel cell in a remarkable collaboration with California middle school Merit Academy. Students from Merit Academy presented their motivational project during last year’s Invitational. It was a big hit again this year.

A balloon filled with hydrogen fuels a tiny fuel cell-powered toy car under the direction of a middle school student at the AM2000 Secondary School Invitational.

After lunch, the students alternated rotations through the Dr. Bob Laboratory and the Learning Center. In the Dr. Bob Laboratory, operated by Jon Hurwitch and the Sentech crew, hands-on experiments brought students closer to the joy of science and environmental uses of hydrogen. In the Learning Center, students experienced a variety of hydrogen and fuel cell related demos. There were several fuel cells products and live loads in the Learning Center, including an entertaining display by H Power. Ned Stetson of Energy Conversion Devices even treated students to the ECD fuel cell-powered train!

The day concluded with a career panel, Career Opportunities of a Lifetime (COOL), in which science and engineering practitioners shared training and work experiences with the students. Panelists included: Dr. Sig Gronich (engineer, psychologist); Cathy Gregoire-Padro (chemical engineer); Larry Mosca (fuel cell technologist/marketer); and Donna Lang (chemistry teacher).

A big thank you goes out to the NHA’s Karen Miller, Tina Schneider, and Lara Neer, who cooperated with M.R.S. and the entire Invitational cast and crew to assure the best-coordinated educational experience possible. Tiffany Rosenberger and Jay Stringer from Emmanuel Christian Church in Virginia also deserve recognition as teacher’ helpers at the Invitational.

We look forward to the 2001 DOE/NHA Secondary School Invitational. Please join us! In the meantime, if you can’t wait till next year or have questions about hydrogen education outreach, please contact Mary-Rose Valladares at +1.301.530.6591 or mrsenter@erols.com.

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