Contest looks for energy waste in schools

Hey kids, here is a chance for you to wield some power over your school — and help save energy, too. (Teachers may also want to listen up).

A Cape Cod, Mass., firm that makes data loggers is hosting a contest in which classes can use one of the company’s devices to document energy waste in schools. They’re talking about such things as opening windows in January because the social studies classroom is like Death Valley, or maybe leaving lights on when nobody is in school.

Joe Kolman
The Idaho Statesman

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Here’s how the contest works: Every class from kindergarten through 12th grade is eligible. Each classroom will receive a free data logger package from the Onset company through its iScienceProject program. The company says the data logger is simple to use. The portable electronic recording device monitors light usage, room temperature and relative humidity. NASA used versions of these loggers in gloves to measure the temperatures of astronauts’ fingertips during space walks.

Down here in Earth’s classrooms, accompanying software will turn the energy usage data from the schools into color, time-stamped graphs that indicate, for example, when lights are on and off and what room temperatures are during the night.

The free loaner package includes the logger, software and energy-saving activities.

In addition to teaching kids about energy savings, company literature touts the real-world applications of science and math lessons that participating in the program can bring.

Classrooms that investigate and document at least one example of wasted energy win a complete data logger system, a $200 value. The elementary, middle and high-school classrooms deemed to have made the greatest effort to uncover energy waste win a $1,000 set of data loggers.

The contest runs from now until May 1. Those interested can find more information and details on signing up at http://www.iscienceproject.com/energy_challenge/energy_challenge.html.

The deadline for contest entries is April 30, 2005.

The company says that classrooms only pay the cost of shipping at the end of the two-month loaner period, which typically costs less than $8. The loggers work on PCs (Win 95 or later) and Macs (OS 10.2 or later). Classes need to indicate which operating systems they use on the loaner form.

If any Treasure Valley classes sign up, let the Idaho Statesman know, so we can follow up in a future column.

Send us your ideas for making the Treasure Valley a better place to live. Contact Joe Kolman at jkolman@ idahostatesman.com.