Electric Dune Buggy Donated To Strongsville Schools

STRONGSVILLE, OH — An electric dune buggy was recently donated to the Strongsville City Schools by a resident. The vehicle will be used as a teaching tool in the district's Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)-based programs.

The vehicle was donated by Strongsville resident Bob Wolford. The electric-powered dune buggy was designed and build entirely by Wolford.

“My main goal with this donation is to get some students excited enough to ultimately pursue a career in engineering. While the buggy is good for student demos, it would be great if the students can also spend time actually working on it. In my opinion, there is a strong need for the United States to grow hands on technical education. In class theory and problem solving is the foundation. But it’s much easier to grasp concepts when the theories and concepts are also applied to real world products that can be seen and touched. My hope is that this donation offers another avenue for the Makerspace attendees to explore their ideas and realize their potential,” said Wolford.

Unsurprisingly, Wolford is an electrical engineer. He spent 24 years working at IBM and now works for the Lenovo Corporation, designing computer servers. He also has 13 patents in his name.

“We are so appreciative of this amazing gift to our District from Mr. Wolford. We cannot wait to provide the students additional learning opportunities that this electric dune buggy offers. Inspiring creativity, innovation, problem solving, and teamwork in our students are end goals of our Makerspace areas throughout the District. This donation will further help us reach those goals,” said Vicki Turner, Director of Instructional Technology for Strongsville City Schools.