25 November 2011 Von: statesman.com, Dave Doolittle

At 16, Sigifredo Salinas III is an F1 racing circuit veteran.

Salinas, a junior who attends Pharr-San Juan-Alamo High School in the Valley, competed on Team Nova in the F1 in Schools program, an international competition in which teams of students ages 9 to 19 use computer-aided drafting and manufacturing software to design, test, build and race miniature balsa wood cars on a 66-foot track.

Team Nova beat out all other Texas teams to make it to the F1 in Schools national finals at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich., in May . In addition to making a car, team members had to collect money and retain sponsors using a business plan and deliver a presentation on how they created their entry. A victory would've put them on a plane for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to compete against teams from around the world.

"Before high school and before F1 in Schools, I didn't know what an engineer was. I thought it had to do with trains," Salinas said, adding that he would now like to pursue a career in aerospace technology.

Organizers of the United Kingdom-based F1 in Schools program said enticing students to math, science and engineering fields is the program's goal.

Students participating in F1 in Schools get hands-on experience in computational fluid dynamics, engineering and aerospace technology while they develop critical thinking, teamwork and communication skills, organizers say.

"It's a level of technology teaching that (schools have) never before seen," said Andrew Denford, founder of F1 in Schools. Denford was in Austin on Monday pitching the program to area school districts, none of which currently participate. "It will get (students) thinking about manufacturing and engineering."

The program, which boasted more than 300,000 students from about 18,000 schools in 35 countries in 2010, is endorsed by Formula One. In 2010, a team comprised of middle school and high school students from Virginia and Georgia won the finals in Singapore, where they met Formula One personnel. If a racetrack scheduled to host Formula One races southeast of Austin goes forward, Denford said he'd like to see the circuit host the national or world finals of the F1 in Schools competition.

"Developing student interest in technology, math and science is always a plus, and the F1 in Schools program certainly helps deliver on that idea," said Bruce Knox, vice president of Circuit of the Americas. "Our team has really enjoyed supporting the program's mission."

The Society of Automotive Engineers, a global nonprofit organization that develops standards and conducts research aimed at improving aerospace, automotive and commercial vehicle technology, last month announced a partnership with the F1 in Schools in the United States to run the day-to-day operations, sanction events and host the competition finals.

The society has several educational programs, including A World in Motion, in which students in kindergarten to 12th grades learn engineering concepts by creating projects, and its Collegiate Design Series, in which college students design, build and drive vehicles in several categories, such as full-size race cars called Formula SAE. Those finals would be held in conjunction with the F1 in Schools finals, said Matt Miller, director of SAE foundation and pre-professional programs.

"This would allow students in high schools to see what's next - the college students competing with cars they built," Miller said. "We're getting the next set of scientists and mathematicians."

Hilary Gamboa, 18, a senior who was responsible for manufacturing Team Nova's race car, said building the car was a challenge.

"I had to learn to be very precise because any little mistake can change the car," Gamboa said. "It was a firsthand experience that helped solidify my decision to become an engineer in the future."