media statement WA school wins inaugural hydrogen grand prix state final
H2GP WA winning team from Emmanuel Catholic College, with Chevron's Melissa Shute (left) and Member for Cockburn David Scaife MLA (centre).
PERTH, 29 July 2024 – Western Australian high school students have embraced the opportunity to compete in the world’s largest hydrogen competition, the Horizon Hydrogen Grand Prix (H2GP).
High school students from 20 teams undertook the challenge of building, and modifying, a hydrogen-powered small model remote-control car to compete in the inaugural WA H2GP Finals which were held on Friday, 26 July 2024.
During the WA Finals, each team presented their car and shared their learnings from the program to a judging panel before taking part in a four-hour endurance race.
The team from Emmanuel Catholic College was named overall winner and has been invited to compete in the World Finals in Anaheim, California, in September 2024, supported by Chevron Australia Pty Ltd.
Melissa Shute, General Manager Corporate Affairs, Chevron New Energies, said, “Through this innovative STEM program, WA classrooms have been transformed into racetracks and students have become innovators, with their efforts culminating in a fantastic final endurance race.
“Hydrogen’s growth is naturally linked to a lower carbon future and Chevron is focused on developing large-scale lower carbon projects that build on our assets, capabilities and relationships. Congratulations to all participants, especially our WA winners from Emmanuel Catholic College.”
Melissa Shute
General Manager Corporate Affairs, Chevron New Energies
1 - Melissa Shute official opening address, 2 - 2024 H2GP WA cohort, 3 - Member for Mirrabooka, Meredith Hammat MLA race start flag, 4 - H2GP WA race track, 5 - team activity in the pits, 6 - Melissa Shute race end flag
Kamil Jelinek, CEO of Horizon Educational said, “Securing Australia’s energy future starts with community-based educational programs like the H2GP.
As we’ve seen during the course of the program, training the next generation of hydrogen and sustainable energy innovators means going beyond the classroom, instilling the type of real-world, hands-on engineering and project management skills these students will need in the future workforce.”
Jo Watkins, CEO of Australian Earth Science Education said, “Students and educators alike have worked exceptionally hard since February of this year to put their STEM skills in to practice, resulting in some exciting, modified cars to enter this inaugural race.
"AusEarthEd has been delighted to support these groups in their undertakings and to explore with them potential STEM careers of the future.”
About Chevron Australia
Chevron is one of the world's leading integrated energy companies and through its Australian subsidiaries, has been present in Australia for 70 years. With the ingenuity and commitment of thousands of workers, Chevron Australia operates the Gorgon and Wheatstone natural gas facilities; manages its equal one-sixth interest in the North West Shelf Venture; operates Australia’s largest onshore oilfield on Barrow Island; and is a significant investor in exploration. Chevron Australia Downstream delivers quality fuels and lubricants primarily via its Caltex network of service stations across Australia.
About Horizon Educational
Founded in 2003, Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies began the sale of miniature fuel cells to demonstrate the technology to schools and students around the world, while investing in R&D of more advanced products and industrial applications. In 2013, Horizon Educational Group was formed as an independent division dedicated to the deployment of a complete range of educational solutions. Horizon Educational develop, produce, and distribute hands-on teaching material and didactic equipment as well as online curricula and educational programs. With distributors in over 150 countries, the STEM kits and technical training equipment have an international reputation for quality, educational content, and award-winning design. Discover more at horizoneducational.com.
About Australian Earth Science Education
Australian Earth Science Education (AusEarthEd) has been working within Western Australian schools for more than 17 years, to improve Earth Science and STEM education outcomes. On a non-profit basis, AusEarthEd works with educational bodies and the resources industry to provide free educational resources, to deliver hands-on incursions into classrooms and to support educators, through professional development and mentoring. More recently, AusEarthEd has grown their support for schools into the Northern Territory and New South Wales, engaging with more than 17,000 students and 2,000 educators, across Australia, in 2023.
Chevron - Todd Cardy
Horizon Educational – Ben Giordano
Australian Earth Science Education – Jo Watkins