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Student wins $100,000 scholarship for electric longboard design

Ethan Lodermeier was one of 100 winners of the Schulich Leadership Scholarship
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Ethan Lodermeier shows his electric longboard. Lodermeier, a Grade 12 student at Summerland Secondary School, has won a $100,000 scholarship for his efforts. He plans to study engineering in his future. (Contributed)

A Summerland Secondary School student who designed and built an electric longboard has received a valuable scholarship for his work.

Ethan Lodermeier was one of 100 winners of the Schulich Leadership Scholarship, the largest Canadian STEM scholarship presented.

Loderemeier, a Grade 12 student, is planning to study engineering after graduation.

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“My whole life I’ve been interested in electronics and engineering,” he said, adding his love of engineering led him to design and build an electric longboard.

The longboard, which resembles a large skateboard, is motorized and is capable of reaching speeds of up to 40 kilometres an hour on level ground, although Lodermeier said he does not ride it at such speeds.

He has not had injuries or crashes while developing and testing his longboard.

At times, he has ridden the longboard up the hill on Giant’s Head Mountain on Summerland. He has sometimes been stopped by people asking if he will ride the electric longboard downhill.

Lodermeier has spent three and a half years designing and building the longboard.

It began during a woodworking class when he was in Grade 8.

At the time, he was interested in longboarding and began to consider the possibilities of an electric longboard. The device is not a novelty, he said. Instead, he believes it could provide a practical transportation solution in some urban areas.

The longboard can be carried and stored in a small locker.

The Schulich Leadership Scholarship at the University of British Columbia comes with a prize of $100,000.

The scholarship program was established by Canadian businessman Seymour Schulich in 2011.

“With 100 outstanding students selected in Canada this year, it is all but guaranteed that this group will represent the best and brightest Canada has to offer. These future leaders will make great contributions to society, both on a national and global scale,” Schulich said.

“With their university expenses covered, they can focus their time on their studies, research projects, extracurriculars, and entrepreneurial ventures. They are the next generation of technology innovators.”

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Ethan Lodermeier


John Arendt

About the Author: John Arendt

John Arendt has worked as a journalist for more than 30 years. He has a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Journalism degree from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.
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