Education Program Overview

The Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE Education Program, funded by a $3.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, will engage students and the public in learning about advanced vehicle technologies, energy efficiency, climate change, alternative fuels, and the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) behind efficient vehicle development.

A key goal of this national program is to inspire youth to learn more about and pursue careers in advanced vehicle development, and to generate excitement about the energy-efficient vehicle options of the near-future. The Education Program will educate the public and create a multi-tiered approach to engage students and showcase the 21st century skills, knowledge, and expertise needed to succeed in work and life, including creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, communication and collaboration.

Three elements of the education program include:

An online, Interactive Knowledge Center created in partnership with Discovery Education. This Web site, www.FuelOurFutureNow.com, features activities for K-12 students, as well as high-quality videos, stimulating virtual labs and additional interactive resources intended for use from the classroom to the living room. Additionally, once the competition begins, viewers will be able follow the competition, monitor specific vehicles, and observe how vehicle technologies and driving styles affect various important current and cumulative figures-of-merit such as fuel-economy, environmental impact, vehicle status and more.

A National Student Contest called DASH+, challenging high school teams to design the dashboard of the future that incorporates feedback mechanisms to help drivers maximize fuel efficiency and reduce environmental impact. Each design is accompanied by a written technical plan and a design video pitch to convince both auto manufacturers and the general public to adopt and embrace their new concepts. Drive change today at www.FuelOurFutureNow.com/Contest

DASH+ Winners Named!

EDV Technologies from Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta, CA, has been named the Grand Prize winner of the DASH+ student contest. More than 10,000 online votes representing all 50 states were combined with scores from an independent panel of expert judges to determine which semi-finalist team would travel to Detroit this summer to pitch their dashboard of the future to automotive industry representatives.

EDV (El Diseño Verde) includes students Jake Moghtader, Nikhil Shinday and Kelvin Noronha and mentor Kevin Schantz, a software architect. The team collaborated to design the dashboard, complete a technical plan and create a video pitch. Their dashboard design incorporates technology that continuously calculates maximum fuel economy based on previous performance of other vehicles on similar road conditions. The dashboard alerts the driver of environmental impact and awards GreenPoints, creating an eco-friendly competition.

The two other semi-finalist teams were DASH Tech of the Henry Ford Academy in Dearborn, MI, and Harker Innovation of The Harker School in San Jose, CA. In recognition of their accomplishments and to help further their education goals, all three semi-finalist teams will equally share $10,000 thanks to contributions from Progressive Insurance and Cisco Systems, Inc.

Educational Outreach Events throughout the competition, to engage K-12 students and their grownups in a series of fun, hands-on, minds-on, interactive, learning activities. The events welcome participation from area schools, out-of-school time organizations, colleges and universities, as well as the science/citizen-scientist community.