Racetrack puts kids’ imagination to the test at Fab Lab competition

A competition allowed over 160 elementary and middle school students to race their own custom-designed remote controlled cars.

By Ian Swaby
| 10:00 p.m. April 1, 2023

A car makes the journey over a pink jellyfish.

Sarasota
Neighbors

After she started volunteering at Suncoast Science Center’s Faulhaber Fab Lab, high school senior Natalie Carrión found the role wasn’t simply a one-way street.

“I think it really is a symbiotic relationship,” she said.

By creating the racetracks on which they race their own custom-designed remote-controlled cars, elementary and middle school students learn a lot about engineering, said Carrión. The volunteers learn a great deal about engineering as well.

On Sunday, the Suncoast Science Center/Faulhaber Fab Lab 8th Annual Remote Control (RC) Custom Car Open was held at the science center’s facilities, placing the kids' abilities on display through a series of visually striking cars.

The event included 160 students representing about 60 teams from over 21 area schools, and the competition spanned two “Under the Sea” themed tracks — a short challenge course, and a longer obstacle course.

13-year-old Darshan Kolesar, part of the team Concorde, said knowledge of electronics aided in the design of his team’s car, modeled after an airplane as well as a flying fish. This included when he placed two LED lights on the car’s two wingtips, mimicking airplane lights.

“If I was a newbie to electronics, I would have tried to connect the LEDs directly to the battery, which would have ended up ruining the LEDs,” he said. He said a resister must be connected so that the current does not run directly to the LEDs.

“I think it was pretty cool to use all the machines,” said 10-year-old Peyton Campbell of the team The FORCE is With Us.

The construction of the cars includes using a vacuum former to fit plastic onto a wooden mold, performing laser-cutting, and creating various 3-D printed objects.

Suncoast Science Center board member Asim Chauhan said the abilities of the students in the program, in creating visually appealing and highly functional cars, have improved over time.

“In a school environment, children are told what to do. In this environment, they are actually empowered to do what they would like to do."

13-year-olds Maxwell Cashdollar and Leon Florens of the team RC Machanics turn a corner in the obstacle course.

11-year-old Charlotte Huynh of team Mako prepares for the race with her mother Harper Huynh and her 6-year-old brother Charlie Huynh.

8-year-old Camryn Palazzolo of Purrfect Mercats navigates a tricky obstacle.

10-year-old Louie Goncalves of the team Da Flop navigates a series of sea sponges in the obstacle course.

7-year-old Charlotte Runnalls of Purrfect Mercats gets ready to race her "mercat" car, which is decorated with mermaid cats.

10-year-old Ezra Helton of Team Helton cheers following a victory.

Darshan Kolesar's flying fish car sits ready to go on the challenge track.

13-year-olds Drake Ouellette of the team Sord and Darshan Kolesar of the team Concorde maneuver their cars into the boat at the end of the challenge course.

12-year-old Mikaela Tereshkov and 13-year-old Addison Hartley of Lopsided Squids navigate the challenge track.

9-year-old Anderson Perkins of All-Terrain Pain is congratulated by his mother Savannah Perkins after a competition.

9-year-old Patrick English of the Megalodons celebrates a victory.

11-year-old Xan Hynes, 11-year-old Adaleena Gordon, and 10-year-old Madelyn Vega of the Daring Dolphins race on the obstacle course track.

14-year-old volunteer Mason Peters and 11-year-old Noah Veverka of Turtle Troops manage a turn around the obstacle course.

High school volunteer Natalie Carrion asks fellow volunteer Hailie Palmer to describe how she built the waterfall in the obstacale course.

13-year-old Patrick Githens of the Sunny Sharks prepares to race on the obstacle course.

11-year-old Hayden Khuu of the Wiggly Whales and 7-year-old Charlotte Runnalls of the Purrfect Mercats helped spray cars with water guns along the obstacle course track.

A car approaches the waterfall in the obstacle course.

The "mercat" car navigates a forest of jellyfish.

author

Ian Swaby

Ian Swaby is the Sarasota neighbors writer for the Observer. Ian is a Florida State University graduate of Editing, Writing, and Media and previously worked in the publishing industry in the Cayman Islands.