A man in a suit and a young boy working on building a model car together.
Brandon Ramirez of Hyundai Motor America helps a young student perfect his hydrogen-fueled model car. (Photos: Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging.)

Fueling dreams: USC Dornsife and Hyundai propel young minds into futures in science

The collaboration aims to help encourage K-12 students in the neighborhoods surrounding USC to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields.
ByTaline Rumaya

Future scientists, start your engines! This fall, fifth-grade students from across Los Angeles built their own hydrogen-powered cars as part of an electrifying collaboration between the Joint Educational Project (JEP) at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and Hyundai Motors.

Armed with wrenches and curiosity, students learned how to build model hydrogen cars from top to bottom and raced their creations to see whose car was designed the best. Students also explored Hyundai’s hydrogen-powered SUV, the NEXO.

The workshop took place as part of JEP’s Young Scientists Program (YSP), which aims to address a critical lack of science education in the elementary schools JEP serves by bringing scientific laboratory experiences directly to students and their teachers.

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