Samuel Mikhail, team leader of Team New York (City College of New York), celebrates the diversity of his team during the All-Team Meeting. (Credit: Carol Anna/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon)

Filled with energy and excitement, the student teams gathered the All-Team Meeting tonight to kick off the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011. The teams—representing 13 U.S. states, five countries, and four continents—received an enthusiastic send-off from Solar Decathlon organizers and sponsors in preparation for the assembly phase of the competition, which begins later tonight.

Over a buffet dinner, Melissa Segil of Middlebury College explained how the Solar Decathlon has had a powerful impact on her education.

Editor’s Note: This entry has been cross-posted from DOE’s Energy Blog.

In honor of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon—which challenges 20 collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive—we are profiling each of the 20 teams participating in the competition.