Students and industry professionals, start your engines!
Recently, several students from Paradise Valley High School in Phoenix, Arizona, one of 34 schools supported by onsemi through the PLTW Grants program, had a unique opportunity to show off their design skills while engaging with onsemi employees. As part of onsemi’s employee engagement “Race Week” leading up to the IndyCar NXT series race on March 6 at Phoenix Motor Speedway, the company hosted five students and their teachers at their Phoenix headquarters for a day of racing AND learning. onsemi has sponsored the #6 Arrow McLaren IndyCar since 2022.
Getting Ready for the Race
Prior to the visit, the PLTW Engineering students built RC cars using VEX robotics equipment and designed a track to fit IndyCar style.
“We got to really model it, and then we got to laser cut and assemble it,” one student shared about the classroom experience building the cars. “We had a lot of problems that we figured out how to solve during PLTW.”
Connecting RC Cars to Real-World Careers
On the day of the event, the teachers and students had the opportunity to share more about PLTW and its impact on them. Students gave insights into their favorite PLTW projects as well as future plans.
One student participant shared, “I think that something that PLTW does differently than any other is that they teach you the foundational knowledge and then say, ‘Now what do you do with it? Do something with it that’s meaningful and impactful.’”
“I really liked learning about the failures of engineering because it gave a meaning to the course that I didn’t really know before. Because once you see the limits and the problems … you really start to see the value of engineering and the importance of it in the future,” another student shared of her PLTW course experience.
Letting onsemi Employees Take the Wheel
Students then set up the track and gave a brief tutorial about the cars before handing over the controls to the onsemi employees to race. The racers weren’t in it alone—students stayed close by to coach, assist, and provide maintenance and troubleshooting.
“It was the most fun I’ve had in the office! I had a great time interacting with the students. I appreciated how they shared their fearless, inventive, and creative approaches with a truly interactive activity that highlighted their knowledge. I could feel how engaged both the educators and the students were with the subject matter. I wish a program like this was available when I was in school.” – Nathaniel Beeler, Visual Designer (first-place winner 🎉)
For professionals like onsemi executive assistant Julia Mathet, the experience showcased just how impactful students can be when they're given the opportunity to lead. “It was inspiring to hear the students share how Project Lead The Way fuels their passion for STEAM and to see their creativity behind the remote control robots they built," Julia shared. "Their attention to detail and enthusiasm for what they created was truly impressive. Of course, the highlight of the day was when I got to race their robots against my colleagues—those things were fast and SO much fun!”
onsemi, a leading semiconductor manufacturer, has partnered with PLTW since 2023 to expand access to PLTW programs for students in Arizona, California, the Northeast, the Pacific Northwest, and Texas. To learn more about partnerships that support STEM education and CTE programs from PreK through 12th grade, visit pltw.org/partners.