Cars come out of the kit fully operational, so the first weeks of engagement are spent learning how systems operate and how to organize data, rather than following build directions. After being certified in mechanical systems, data and problem-solving, students spend the duration of the program year modifying the car to improve performance.

Students practice their electromechanical skills to assemble the vehicle, and then turn to physical computing, incorporating sensors and a microcontroller to program the car to perform tasks such as lane-following and obstacle avoidance. In addition to engineering performance, teams for both categories are challenged to tackle Enterprise skills through the curriculum, including project management, marketing and business development.

NSBE’s Ten80 STEM Initiative finals take place at the NSBE Annual Convention where teams only compete with other NSBE chapter teams. After the conference, NSBE teams can earn invitations to the National Finals for Ten80 teams in spring, to compete with other teams across the US and China.

• Each team is entered into the Middle (grades 6-8) or High School (grades 9-12) series. If any single individual on a team is in grades 9-12, the team must be High School.
• Teams must be composed of active NSBE Jr. members.
• To activate your team, you MUST ALSO register or renew with Ten80 at this link.
• Teams: Minimum of FOUR (4) students and a maximum of FIFTEEN (15) students.
• Each team enters into one or more of the following competition series: Racing Challenge,
  Autonomous Vehicle Challenge, and/or Online Points Race.
• Attendance at the 2025 Annual Convention in Chicago, IL, March 5 – March 9, 2025, is required.
• Complete all application and registration requests before the deadlines.
• Chapter advisor and team coaches must provide a satisfactory NSBE background check by
  applying here.