Community Corner
Patch Whiz Kid of the Week: Adam Neulight, 9
Hybla Valley Patch Whiz Kid of the Week, Hollin Meadows Elementary fourth grader Adam Neulight
Adam Neulight
Fourth Grade, 9 Years Old
Hollin Meadows Elementary School
Find out what's happening in Greater Alexandriawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Adam Neulight spends his lunch toiling away on solar panels, robots and wind turbines. He has a never-ending interest in electrical engineering and tinkers with ideas for alternative energy. He’s also in the fourth grade.
“He’s been working on projects like this for the past few years,” said Jason Pittman, Neulight’s science teacher at Hollin Meadows Elementary School. Neulight’s interest in science stems from his father who is an electrical engineer. According to Neulight, his father, Eric, worked with the class on solar panels that would harness energy in the school’s garden.
Find out what's happening in Greater Alexandriawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Neulight has been meeting with Pittman twice a week to work on a variety of projects like wind turbines that recharge batteries, a waterwheel that generates electricity and a faraday generator on top of the work he does in class.
“He has such an aptitude for engineering. He just tinkers and tinkers,” Pittman said. In fact after Pittman had given up on perfecting the waterwheel Neulight’s stayed determined and finally fine-tuned it to working condition.
“I’ve always liked doing that stuff,” Neulight said. His newest project is Sumo wrestling robots that are programmed to stay in a ring and push each other out.
