1871 SPONSORS COMED ICEBOX DERBY RACE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 25, 2014

CONTACT

1871
Melissa Wooten
press@1871.com

1871 SPONSORS COMED ICEBOX DERBY RACE
1871 supports efforts to empower young female students interested in STEM subjects

CHICAGO (August 25, 2014)— 1871 announced today its sponsorship of ComEd’s Icebox Derby, a science and technology program created to empower girls to explore STEM subjects by designing, building, and racing cars crafted from recycled refrigerators. This year’s six teams were comprised of 30 girls from the Chicagoland area between the ages of 13 and 18.

“1871 is committed to helping empower women and girls in the tech community,” said 1871 CEO Howard Tullman. “Fostering girls’ interest and inclusion in STEM subjects from an early age is critical to promoting gender equality in these fields. We are extremely excited to help with the education and development of girls in the Chicagoland community, and we enjoyed participating in this year’s Icebox Derby.”

ComEd’s Icebox Derby program began with a kick-off event in early July, followed by weekly meetings that created a step-by-step process for the construction of the icebox cars. ComEd provided mentors to help team members develop their ideas into the final products. From designing the cars to adding brakes, each challenge provided the team members with experience and skills in engineering, science, and technology.

Saturday, August 23rd marked the final day of the eight-week program. The six teams, separated into two divisions, tested the vehicles in separate relay race heats in the east parking lot of the Field Museum. The first place team from each heat competed in a 3-lap final race to determine which team became the STEM Cup Champion.

ComEd granted each participant a $1,000 college scholarship, helping girls begin their journeys into the science and technology field. In addition to providing media support for the Icebox Derby, 1871 donated medals for each of the STEM Cup Championship participants, sponsored the wrapping of one of the vehicles, and sponsored the prizes for the second place team.

About the Icebox Derby
The Icebox Derby is a competition focused around the empowerment of young women in the fields of science and technology. Launched by ComEd, the program includes participants from local organizations such as Girls4Science, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana and the Chicago Urban League. The race is a culmination of six challenges, with each challenge being one step in building the physical car. Six teams competed in the first annual race held at the Field Museum on August 23, 2014.

About 1871
1871 is an entrepreneurial hub for digital startups. Located in The Merchandise Mart, the 75,000-square-foot facility provides Chicago startups with programming, access to mentors, educational resources, potential investors and a community of like-minded entrepreneurs that help them on their path to building successful businesses. 1871 is the flagship project of the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center.