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September
5, 2005 Vol. 77, no. 2F
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| SUNNY
SIDE UP: CalSol’s “Beam Machine”
crosses the finish line at the North American Solar Car Challenge
this summer. The team “rayced” 2,500 miles to place
second in its class. (Photo Credit: CalSol)
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Student teams place in top five during summer competitions
CalSol’s “Beam Machine” in the North American
Solar Challenge 2005: second place in stock class, 2,500 miles in 68.5
hours
CalSol powered through rainstorms, mosquitoes, and a competitive field
to nab second place in its class, just behind Stanford. “Overall,
we’re pleased,” says team leader and ME senior Greg Thorne.
“It sucks losing to Stanford because we were so close, but they
ran a great race. Our heated competition serves as a stellar example
of what makes our rivalry so great.” The team capitalized on new
rules allowing lithium-ion batteries and new silicon cells to give it
an edge.
“We really accomplished something,” says Navtej Sadhal,
an EECS senior and the team’s electrical lead. “We basically
built a solar car from scratch and did really well.” CalSol’s
stellar finish made the San Francisco Chronicle, MSNBC,
and The Daily Californian. For photos and more, go to www.me.berkeley.edu/calsol/.
Supermileage Vehicle Team’s “Christine” in
the SAE Supermileage Competition: fourth place overall, 772.78 miles
per gallon
With a pirate flag flying from its base camp, the SMV team won revenge
this year when it placed back in the top five after failing to complete
the 1.6 mileage run last year. This year’s secret weapon was a
new fuel-injection engine designed by Kevin Ciocia (B.S.’05 ME/Applied
Math) and Chris Floren (B.S.’05 ME). Ciocia also custom designed
a computer program to run the fuel injection system, the only thing
like it in the competition. “We had just one evening of testing
the night before the competition, but the car worked with no major problems,”
says Sarah Scott, history major and team member. “It was fantastic.
With a redesigned body and new engine, we are heading in the right direction
for this coming year.” For photos and more, go to http://smv.berkeley.edu/index.html.
California Concrete Canoe’s “Bearied Treasure”
in the 2005 National Concrete Canoe Competition: fourth place overall
Cal didn’t crack. The 13-member team took fourth after four separate
competitions: a final product inspection (including a dunk test to make
sure the canoe would float), technical paper, oral presentation, and
five timed paddling races. “It’s a pretty good comeback
since we didn’t qualify for nationals last year,” says team
leader and CEE ’05 graduate Harry Tam. “In fact, we were
surprised we did so well, since it was a building year for us.”
The team had one year to design, test and build a canoe out of lightweight
concrete. Three times a week, members practiced paddling at the Aquatic
Park. Their hard work paid off, and the team’s success leaves
it in a good position for this coming year. “We’ll do better
than fourth,” Tam promises. For photos and more, go to www.ce.berkeley.edu/~canoe/index.php?location=index.
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