March 2020
Check out the latest JSS headlines:
Rev Up Your Team

Are you trying to get your Junior Solar Sprint team members excited about competitions or show prospective coaches or teams why they should get on board with JSS?

Here are two ways:

  1. Share the thrills of the 2019 National JSS Competition Album with them! It features images from the competition and special interest sessions at the 2019 National TSA Conference.
  2. Sign up for a brand new PITSCO Ray Catcher Sprint Kit to use at the 2020 National JSS Competition. First, register for JSS on Cvent. Then, send your name, school, shipping address, and phone number to [email protected]. Please ensure that all teachers and/or advisors, volunteers, and participants are registering on the Cvent site before your state Technology Student Association conference. Students can fill out the registration on their own—but they will need a parent/legal guardian’s digital signature on the “Additional Information” page of the registration.

Remember: 

  • TSA middle school chapters receive two free kits.
  • Title 1 TSA middle school chapters—and any elementary schools that have registered for JSS Jumpstart through the same Cvent registration portal—receive five free kits.
  • All those who register are also eligible to receive a large (23.5” x 17.5”) JSS poster, while supplies last, to display proudly in their school or classroom!
Competition Updates

Keep tabs on JSS event guidelines and the JSS competition rubric on the Competition Updates webpage ; click "Junior Solar Sprint" on that webpage for the latest changes.
Looking for ways to give your entry a boost?
Here are some tips and techniques suggested by
JSS Event Coordinator Bob Walters:
Adjustable Panel
Coiled Wire Supports
Adjustable Wooden Support
Coiled Wire Details
Wooden Support Sketch
It has been suggested that positioning a JSS vehicle's adjustable panel so that it is perpendicular to the sun’s rays increases the energy collected by 20 percent. Assuming that the direction of the JSS track is not known in advance, and considering that the sun tracks across the sky as the day progresses, it certainly may be advantageous to design a system to adjust the panel angle. Two systems are shown here:

  • One employs coiled wire, topped with micro alligator clips. The coils can be compressed or expanded to change the panel angle. The clips used to hold the panel could instead be done with Velcro.

  • The second system uses a wooden bracket and post. Other material could be used. The panel slides into the bracket. This has two axes of movement. The axes can be horizontal or vertical but need to be perpendicular to each other.
Each month, learn more about AEOP and its STEM connections.
Get SMART... and More
"Carefully consider the opportunities before you. Find those that best align with what excites and motivates you, then jump in with both feet! You have to take risks to think great thoughts."

The U.S. Department of Defense provides a variety of opportunities that enable students to pursue STEM education through:

  • fellowships
  • grants
  • tuition-for-service programs

The department encounters interesting science and technology challenges such as robotic autonomy, human-machine interaction, high-speed aerodynamics, quantum information systems, advanced communications and much more.

Learn more about the SMART Scholarship, National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship, and Travel Awards.
For more than 50 years, the Army Outreach Educational Program (AEOP) has supported a wide range of educational opportunities in STEM for youth, college, and graduate students, as well as valued teachers. From elementary school through graduate school, students of all proficiency levels, interests, and social and economic backgrounds are encouraged to participate in real-world STEM experiences while also engaging with Army-sponsored mentors.
Get up to speed on STEM with some fun facts.
Did you Know?
An example of an early solar energy collection device is the solar oven, a box for absorbing sunlight. In the 1830s, British astronomer John Herschel used a solar oven to cook food during an expedition.
"People now use many different technologies for collecting and converting solar radiation into useful heat energy for a variety of purposes," reports the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Solar thermal energy systems are used to heat: water for homes, offices, swimming pools; greenhouses and solar thermal power plants —a nd of course, JSS vehicles! See more fun facts in "Solar Explained" from the USEIA .
Embrace the Chaos

“Hands-on activities provide meaningful experiences for students of all ages — allowing them to explore, reflect, and learn team-building skills necessary for their future in the workforce.”

This month, we are on the road with the PITSCO Teacher Advisory Group, also known as TAG. Teachers from coast-to-coast are sharing their insights and tips about hands-on learning in the PITSCO Blog.

From "embracing the chaos and letting the students own their learning" to giving students a task and asking them to "think and imagine," TAG educators offer a wide range of advice about hands-on learning .
Image courtesy: PITSCO Blog.
Do you have a story or photos that could be highlighted IN MOTION?
The JSS e-newsletter, The Mile Marker , offers news and information on JSS — a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) competition administered by TSA with a grant awarded by AEOP.

JSS empowers teachers, mentors, and other community members to engage 5th through 8th grade students in the designing, building, and racing of model solar cars.