Students in the A. James Clark School of Engineering frequently report that the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is their defining university educational experience. Maryland students interested in solar power and demonstrating its feasibility work in cross-campus teams to design and build a solar house over a period 18 months, with the goal of competing against teams from around the world. Teams will exhibit their 800-square-foot residences powered exclusively by solar energy in Denver, Colorado. In the 2011 event, the University of Maryland won first place!