Bakersfield College's STEM program, which stands for science, technology, engineering and math took over a downtown lot this afternoon.
The college had several camps going on this summer and due to popular demand, they added another one.
“They heard we had a lot of kids on the waitlist that did not get to attend any other camps and some kids that really enjoyed attending the other camps," says Yadira Guerrero.
The students focused on solar energy as they built, designed and raced their cars.
“It gets me off my bum instead of playing video games all day and I just like the fact that we get to build our own things, test them out, and keep them. So it’s lots of fun," said Nicholus Heintz.
Guerrero, the program manager, let the children explore their creative side as the students maneuvered their way around problems involving their own car.
"They really enjoyed getting to do adult things. We’re not telling them exactly what to do, they get to kind of explore it on their own, so they had a lot of fun.
Although the experience was fun, it was also a learning one experience for the students.
“We learned how to do power tools, hand tools, we learned about safety in the workplace as well and then we moved onto what are the alternative types of energy, why is solar important here in the kern county specifically, we learned about the technology behind solar panels," said Guerrero.
Today's program was free to any junior high, middle school, and high school student interested in the specific field. For Kirsten Rowles, this experience is something she will not forget.
“I like learning about scientific stuff because its fun to do during the summer. You get the opportunity to do something and get that experience. That’s never going to go away," said Rowles.
The experience will continue tomorrow as the students take a field trip to solar panels around Kern County.
