The Hot Rodders of Tomorrow (HROT) Junior Engine Challenge participated in its first STEM Day on April 20 at the Universal Technical Institute in Lisle, Illinois. During the event, 95 fifth graders from Ranch View Elementary School in Naperville, Illinois, visited the UTI campus to learn more about how STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) relates to the automotive field.
Students arrived at the event around 9 a.m. and went to color-coded tables, where they would each find a Hot Rodder JR shirt. Illinois Congressman Peter Roskam also stopped by to support the event and spoke to students about the importance of working with your hands and STEM activities.
UTI Campus President Julie Muller and Hot Rodders Ryan Gortney also spoke to the students before kicking off the event.
Students were then placed in Red, White or Blue teams. One team reported to the Ford Lab where they were split into teams of two to three students to go to one of theHot Rodders of Tomorrow Junior Engine Challenge stations. With a HROT mentor, the students learned how to disassemble and reassemble a Briggs and Stratton overhead cam engine.
Students also had the opportunity to see two Junior Dragsters on display and participate in a reaction timing light in a half car Junior Dragster. Additionally, students took a tour of the UTI campus, participated in a UTI STEM activity, and colored in the Edelbrock Coloring Book Challenge.
For more information, visit HotRoddersofTomorrow.com.
