Darren Hamley is a twenty-year veteran teacher, whose philosophy is to teach students to be scientists rather than just teaching them science. His philosophy not only led him to win the prestigious Science Teacher of the Year award in Australia, but also is apparent when you meet any of his students, who describe a newfound love for science thanks to Darren’s hands-on approach.

Darren is currently preparing a group of 12 high school students from Willetton Senior High School in Western Australia for the “ultimate challenge in sustainable energy”. This group of 15-year-olds will compete with teams from all over the world to design and build a car powered entirely by solar energy, and to race the car they build across the entire continent of Australia, from Darwin to Adelaide, in the 2009 World Solar Challenge.

Darren has set a goal for this year’s challenge–he would like the Willetton team to finish the race, averaging 70 kilometers per hour and 300 kilometers each day. But no matter how they place in the competition, it will have been worth the journey. Says Darren, “There’s nothing more exciting than working with kids who love what they’re doing.”