Suggestions on how to construct a Nerdy Derby car, sharing of the science behind it, and our own experience in making those. This is intended for teachers, and hope that this can help them to use Nerdy Derby car as a means to promote interests in students in learning STEM/STEAM knowledge

1. Constructing Nerdy Derby
Cars
Dr. Clifford Choy
School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic Unviersity
mccliff@polyu.edu.hk

2. Nerdy Derby
• “The Nerdy Derby is a no-rules miniature car building and racing
competition. With a larger, undulating track and no restrictions on the
size of the cars or materials participants can use, the Nerdy Derby
rewards creativity, cleverness and ingenuity.”
• www.nerdyderby.com

5. Hands-on Time!!
• With two to three persons per team, try to build a Nerdy Derby Car within
15 min
• Use materials provided:
• Cardboard, corrugated cardboard, postcard/promotional materials
• Straws
• Wooden skewers
• Paper clips
• Laser-cutted wheels (MDF)
• Wires
• Adhesive tapes
• And try your car

6. Reflective Journal
Gray, C. and Malins, J. (2004). Visualizing Research: A Guide to the Research
Process in Art and Design. England: AshGate Publishing. Pg 58, Fig 2.9

7. Reflections
• What is/are the theories(hypotheses) in your mind before making the
car? (generalizing)
• What was your plan to test your theories/hypotheses? (reflection-for-
action)
• What did you think of while executing your plan? Anything you
observed or learned? (reflection-in-action)
• What was the result? Were they work as planned? How are you going
to do better next time? (reflection-on-action)
• What are the new theories/hypotheses in your mind?

8. Let’s Share Your Experience …

9. Science and Experience
• Sharing of some experiences and science behind constructing a Nerdy
Derby car
• DO NOT show this to students, especially at the very beginning
• Students should be given chance to explore and discover those
issues/considerations
• Serve to prepare teachers for any issues which may be encountered
by students while making their own cars
• Teachers should go through the process of making their own cars to
at least verify those considerations

10. Basic Considerations
• Wheels
• Shaft
• Friction
• Body
• Tools and materials
• Paper – scissors, cutters, hot glue gun
• Plastics – scissors, hot glue gun
• Wood (Balsa wood, MDF, plywood) – hand-saw, hand-drill, laser cutting
• Metal (sheet metal/foil) - scissors

11. Science
https://youtu.be/a5A6SCE0eVw

12. Specific to Nerdy Derby (1)
• Considerations
• Will it fly off when it reaches the second peak?
• A slot in the middle of the track (does not existing in official track)
• Structural stability
• Durability
• Measurement, accuracy, alignment, use of tools
• Choice of materials
• How to motivate students to participate?
• Compete for ….
• Fastest car
• Slowest car (but still can finish the track)
• Most funny motion
• Take the best video in First Person View (with Raspberry Pi Cam?)

13. Specific to Nerdy Derby (2)
• Other ideas:
• Curved track
• Boaster
• Wind-powered motion
• Flywheel
• Supercapacitor for charging and discharge

14. Learning and Reflections

29. “making”
The Experiential Learning Cycle [Kolb and Kolb, 2005]
Kolb, A., Kolb, D. (2005, May 15) The Kolb Learning Style Inventory –
Version 3.1 2005 Technical Specifications. Retrieved from
http://learningfromexperience.com/media/2010/08/tech_spec_lsi.pdf

30. Suggestions on how to run the classes
• Attract them
• Show video
• Let them play with some cars (teachers have to make some first)
• Observe and reflect
• Why some cars run faster? Why some cars cannot complete the track?
• Why some cars are constructed in a certain way?
• Why not using other types of materials?
• Concepts and generalization
• What theories/hypotheses?
• Make and test
• Iterate for a few times

31. Suggestions on how to run the classes
• Take pictures of different car design
• Take successful ones as well as failures – success builds on failures
• Ask students to reflect, especially on their theories/hypotheses
• Ask students to use other types of materials
• At the end of each class, there SHOULDN’T be only one type of cars

32. In Maker Faire Hong Kong 2017
• Teachers share their experience on how students can learn
STEM/STEAM knowledge through constructing Nerdy Derby car
• Students show their own cars
• May be there is a competition?

33. Questions?