During the week of October 2-8, 4-H members across Louisiana will celebrate National 4-H Week with lessons and activities focus on science and technology. The week will feature 4-H students from across the country engaging in science competitions with the chance to win prizes such as an Apple iPad or $10,000 from Toyota.
This year’s National Science Experiment is called “Wired for Wind.” Each parish was given at least one kit with all the necessary materials to construct a wind turbine and measure the amount of electricity it generates.
Watch the how-to video to become familiar with the 4-H national science experiment on wind turbines.
The challenge for the 4-H members is to build a turbine that generates the greatest amount of electricity. Some factors to consider in designing the turbine include determining the pitch of the blades, the size and number of blades and the shape of the blades.
Mark Tassin, director of the LSU AgCenter 4-H program, says this exercise will be a test for the students, but it will also be an enjoyable activity because of the creativity element it brings. “We believe that the students will enjoy this activity because it is both fun and challenging, and the students get to put their own design methods into practice,” Tassin said.
Tassin said 4-H staff members have been training teachers across the state on an energy curriculum that contains a similar activity. “Those teachers have come up with some rather unique turbine designs that have been successful. I would expect our 4-H’ers to do the same.”
Mark Carriere, 4-H agent in Pointe Coupee Parish, plans on conducting the experiment in 22 clubs across the parish. “We have adopted a going green theme for our clubs this year. This lesson fits perfectly with that, and we expect to reach more than 800 students,” Carriere said.
This year’s activity was chosen because of the push toward creating more energy from renewable sources. Wind was chosen because it is a clean energy source, is widely available and is cheaper when compared to other renewable sources. According to the Energy Information Administration, only 11 percent of the nation’s electricity is derived from renewable sources with wind being the second largest behind hydroelectric.
This is the fourth consecutive year that 4-H members have participated in a National Science Experiment activity. Previous topics have included hydrogels (a superabsorbent polymer), biofuels and water quality.
4-H is the nation’s largest youth organization and is administered in Louisiana by the LSU AgCenter. Louisiana has more than 250,000 members participating in 4-H activities. Nationally, more than 6 million youth participate in 4-H activities that are administered through 109 land-grant institutions.
Craig Gautreaux