JOLIET, Ill. — Seeing students apply the knowledge they learn in the classroom outside the classroom is a satisfying experience for any instructor, and Associate Professor of Automotive Technology Curt Ward knows just how rewarding that can be.

In the spring of 2012, Ward’s students in Automotive 212: Automotive Update and Computer Controlled Systems were so inspired by things they were learning about electric cars that they decided to put their new-found knowledge into practice. They built their own electric vehicle as a project of the Automotive Club, an extracurricular student group that many automotive students join.