Complete Report - University of New South Wales

ARCPHOTOVOLTAICSCENTRE OFEXCELLENCE2010/11ANNUAL REPORTThe MiniSprint Competition.MiniSprint and Model Solar BoatsThe MiniSprint Model Solar Car Challengeand the Model Solar Boat Challengeare offshoot events allowing primaryschool students to design and build solarvehicles and then experience the thrill ofcompetition. The MiniSprint competitorsstart with a kit containing all of theimportant parts of the solar car and canbe built in an evening. The kit requires soldering,gluing and taping.The Model Solar Boat Competition requires muchmore student design than in the MiniSprint. Theboats can be made of any material and can usealmost any size or shape of solar cells and motors.Getting the boat to float right side up and tocompetitively move through the water is quitea feat.Preparations for the Model SolarBoat Competition.The Model Solar Boat Competition.5.7 EducationalCollaborationsA range of educational collaborations havebeen established between the Centreand other educational institutions andorganisations. These collaborations involvethe development and implementation ofeducational programs and courses, theprovision of support for student projects andtheses, and the exchange of students.5.7.1 “2+2” AgreementsIn 2010 the School continued collaborationswith four Chinese Universities for thirdand fourth year students from thoseuniversities to study Photovoltaics andSolar Energy Engineering at UNSW andfor Masters by coursework study with AsiaPacific Partnership sponsorship. “2+2”agreements were signed in 2007 with twoprestigious Chinese universities, NankaiUniversity in Tianjin and Sun Yat-Sen(Zhongshan) University in Guangzhou. Thefirst students under this scheme started atUNSW in Semester1 of 2008. During 2008similar agreements were signed with additionaltwo Chinese universities. The two new partneruniversities are Tianjin University (two agreements,each with a different school) and ZhejiangUniversity, Hangzhou.A new agreement has now been made in 2009with Nanchang University, in Nanchang, which hasformed a new School of Photovoltaic Engineeringand an additional “2+2” agreement was signed inearly 2010 with South China University of Scienceand Technology, in Guangzhou.5.7.2 Thyne Reid FoundationThe Thyne Reid Foundation concluded in 2008an agreement to sponsor the studies of twoundergraduate students for four years of theirstudies, one in Photovoltaics and Solar EnergyEngineering and one in Renewable EnergyEngineering. The students began their studies in thefirst semester of 2009 and finished their second yearin 2010.Trophies for primary schoolparticipants.118