Students at Stockbridge High School have been working all year to transform a Go Kart.
"What we did is we took a full functional gas powered go cart and we completely turned it into electronic," said Stockbridge senior Brandon Benjamin.
He and his classmates are competing against 60 other teams from over 40 schools in Michigan. Including Capital Area Career Center, Eaton RESA, Jackson Area Manufacturers Association, Tecumseh and Williamston High Schools.
All with that same challenge to turn a gas fueled car, electric.
"They're trying to find out how far the vehicle can go with two batteries in it. They're calculating battery efficiency and they've changed the gear ratios around in their car" said Stockbridge robotics teacher.
Bob Richards.
Richards has been with the students each step of the way and says he's watched them all grow, "it's really pretty exciting to see kids engaged in learning, working with their hands, putting into use the things they learned in their other classrooms."
It's all part of Square One Education Network's goal, to get students out of the classroom and interested in S.T.E.M. fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.
"It's difficult to get anybody to pursue any career path without any experience related to that career path" said Square One's Executive Director, Karl Klimek.
"You rarely get excited about doing something by reading a book about it or doing a work sheet" Klimek said.
That hands on experience is helping steer Brandon Benjamin's future.
"I'm signed up to go to Southwestern Michigan College down in Dowagiac and I actually am taking engineering classes down there that they offer" Benjamin said.
A career he says he never thought of until he took the robotics class.
