Students from North Judson-San Pierre (NJSP) High School have been named finalists in the national Dual-Use Student Design Challenge, a competition tied to the 2025 Solar Farm Summit in Chicago. These students have spent the semester diving into the future of food and energy systems, developing real-world solutions for challenges they witnessed firsthand during a visit to Mammoth Solar, one of the largest agrivoltaic farms in the country.
The NJSP students, led by business instructor Mollie Dollahan, spent the spring semester learning about the intersection of food and energy systems. At Mammoth Solar, they toured the facility and met with on-site agrivoltaics farmer Billy Bope, who shared some of the challenges he has encountered integrating solar energy with agricultural practices like sheep grazing. The students then developed solutions based on what they heard and their own research.
“Our students don’t often get opportunities like this, and they certainly rose to the challenge,” said Mollie Dollahan. “Being named finalists and getting to present their ideas on a national stage is an incredible affirmation of their hard work and vision.”
The experience is part of an ongoing collaboration between Mammoth Solar’s support of the StartedUp Foundation’s Innovation Educator Fellowship, the school’s business program, and the Solar Farm Summit’s Student Design Challenge.
The goal of the program? To empower students with career exposure, hands-on problem-solving experience, and a platform to share their ideas with leaders in renewable energy and agriculture.
“Supporting innovative learning experiences and professional mentorship is part of Mammoth Solar broader mission of helping students in rural communities gain the skills and confidence they need to succeed in tomorrow’s economy, “said Chris Kline, Mammoth Solar Development Manager. “Dual use is going to be at the center of both the energy and agriculture industries, and these brilliant students are poised for success in both. That’s the ultimate win in our community engagement efforts.”
