CO2 Car Races More than Lessons for Area Students

November 13, 2018

By Linda Provost The Duncan Banner

In a puff of CO2, the cars race down the track at the DAEDF engineering contest.

As students from across the area hang out, watching their friends or their own carbon dioxide (CO2) race cars go head to head, there was more going on Monday morning. For many students, it was their first in-depth project with engineering. 

For others, it’s a tradition.

Lyle Roggow, Duncan Area Economic Development Foundation president, said the contest started 11 years ago. 

“Part of the reason for it starting was as I was going through and looking at our companies and seeing how many C and C machining folks we have in our community, with all the different shops, I could see very quickly that we needed to get kids to understand — doing something and how it could translate into the C and C machining side of that,” he said. “At the exact same time, you have to find a way that is creative, that allows kids to learn about the STEM items.”

Roggow said the competition has evolved in 11 years — there used to be an entrepreneurship aspect, which didn’t have the same participation as the Co2 racers. So, DAEDF and all their partners focused on the cars. The students who enter must follow guidelines and rules, but after they enter the cars, it is not just a “pass or fail.”

“We grade the engineering contest, we grade the fastest car and then the overall,” he said. “We started making the engineering portion where we judge it about 10 days before the competition, because if we find issues with a student’s car, we allow them to go back and fix it. So this is not a ‘you make it or you don’t.’ If it is a fixable situation, we want them to understand, and we give them their score card.” 

Roggow said volunteers include those from Halliburton, Wilco, Cameron University, Duncan Machine Products, Southern Machine and IOV to the DAEDF staff with Jeannie Bowden and Nicole Punneo. 

“Everyone of our manufacturing partners has joined forces with us because what we have is their future workforce,” he said. “You have to have things that will interest those individuals for the future. That’s what this is really about.”

Something else that really makes the competition, Roggow said, is teachers who take the time to help students figure out the concepts, help push their passion and get hands on with the projects. Some teachers make the races extra credit; some do them as part of lessons.

“We have some kids who come back every year. They enjoy participating” he said. “Really, what you want at the end of the day is, ‘How many of those kids can we actually get into the area of engineering.’ The country continues to say we need more engineers.” 

In the beginning, only 17 cars flew down the track. This year, around 150 did.

Winners

MIDDLE SCHOOL:

People’s Choice

1st : Hunter Miller, Marlow, car #64

2nd: Andrew Wollenburg, Marlow, car # 22

3rd: Anastasia Scott, Duncan, car # 140

Engineering

1st: Jaiden Gregston, Duncan, Car # 145

2nd: Kacyn Miller, Duncan, car # 137

3rd: Sofia Flores, Duncan, car # 120

CO2 race:

1st: Dallas Woody, Empire, car # 147

2nd: Jaiden Gregston, Duncan, Car # 145

3rd: Adyson Meek, Marlow, car # 4

Overall:

1st: Jaiden Gregston, Duncan, Car # 145

2nd: Dallas Woody, Empire, car # 147

3rd: Jackson Butler, Duncan, car # 124

HIGH SCHOOL

People’s Choice

1st: Kahler Coleman, Walters, car # 352

2nd: Gavin Banks, RRTC, car # 368

3rd: Ostyn DeThomas, RRTC, car # 370

Engineering

1st: Gavin Banks, RRTC, car # 368

2nd: Garrett Thornton, Central, car # 307

3rd: Jack Mathison, homeschool, car # 378

CO2 race:

1st: Roland Cook, Duncan, car # 427

2nd: Gavin Banks, RRTC, car # 368

3rd: Patrick Woody, Empire, Car #418

Overall

1st: Gavin Banks, RRTC, car # 368

2nd: Roland Cook, Duncan, car # 427

3rd: Garrett Thornton, Central, car # 307