The Solar Car Challenge Foundation is a local nonprofit that has made an impact in high school STEM education.
It started in 1989 with just one school, The Winston School in Dallas, where founder Dr. Lehman Marks was a teacher.
"We are innovators," Marks said. "We offer a challenge to a kid. Wouldn't you like to build a car? Wouldn't you like to power that car by the sun? And wouldn't you like to race it at the Texas Motor Speedway?"
One school grew into the Solar Car Challenge Foundation nonprofit. Last year, it was among the recipients of the NBCUniversal Local Impact Grant.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
"It made it possible for us to do this mega workshop in January, where we were able to bring in more teams to be involved," Marks said. For instance, we have a new team in Saginaw, Texas, and Saginaw, Michigan."
There are 261 Solar Car Challenge teams in the U.S. and abroad. 24 teams are in North Texas.
"It's what I do," said The Winston School Solar Car Challenge Team Mechanical Lead Brody Morrison.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
"I mean, I get excited, super excited, knowing that this summer is gonna be my first one."
During even years, teams race at the Texas Motor Speedway. In odd years, they drive their solar cars cross-country to California.
"This was the car that I helped build and develop through those 4-years of me being in high school," SMU senior and Solar Car Challenge Chief Mechanical Judge Triton Shoup said. "It really is just surreal driving it on Texas Motor Speedway where NASCAR even drives, passing people in the car, even thought you're going only about 25 miles an hour when NASCAR is used to going 200!"
The deadline to apply for the NBCUniversal Local Impact Grant is Friday, April 19, at 6:59 p.m. Local nonprofits with budgets under $1 million dollars qualify.
