November 2009 issue
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Student Column
Formula SAE Revs Up
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CAMPUS CLUBBING |
BY JOCELYN WESTWOOD
& STEPHANIE DAOUST
Student Columnists
University of Alberta, Engineering
The main goal of the Formula SAE Club at the University of Alberta is to design and build a formula-style car to race at the annual competition in Fontana, Calif. The competition is organized by SAE International, formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers.
It requires that students design a car to be as fast as possible, while adhering to nearly 100 pages of regulations and keeping the overall cost of the car as low as possible.
The Formula SAE Club at the U of A was started in 1998. The student group attended its first competition in 1999. Ever since then, the U of A Formula SAE team has been working hard to keep doing better.
It’s been very successful. The U of A has placed in the top 20 in the past two competitions. The last competition was in June 2009, and the U of A sent 16 students, placing 11th overall and ranking as the top Canadian team. One reason the team did so well is that it had the most cost-effective car at the competition.
Currently, there are about 40 students involved in Formula SAE, although team leader Daniel Vaandrager, an APEGGA student member, says that the numbers may fluctuate over the course of the year. Club members are mainly mechanical engineering students, although there are also some electrical and chemical engineering students involved.
The members devote a significant portion of their time to the project. The estimate for the 2009 car is about 12,000 hours, all told.
Mr. Vaandrager says that the club will have a new organizational structure, next year. Instead of every club member working on all aspects of the car, there will be groups dealing with each sub-system. Although the basic car design will be the same as the 2009 version, there will be various design adjustments, including improved driver fitment.
Mr. Vaandrager wants to retain the U of A’s standing as the top Canadian Formula SAE team. Other goals include an overall top-10 finish in the competition in June 2010.
EWB’s Changing Focus
Engineers Without Borders was founded in 2000 and has been thriving ever since. The U of A has its own chapter of dedicated and hard-working volunteers. It runs major events and initiatives throughout the year, to help promote awareness of global issues.
A common image associated with EWB is building wells for rural villages in Africa. However, that one is becoming outdated.
The campus chapter, and EWB in general, no longer focus on traditional forms of aid. These would encompass actions that tend to be more invasive and high profile in nature — building wells and schools, for example, or donating clothing and supplying food.
Instead, the focus has shifted to more modern aid such as microfinancing and social investing, as well as capacity building and giving developing countries the tools to develop sustainable practices.
The main focuses for our campus chapter include creating global engineers and creating social change leaders, who become involved and take ownership for their actions. Other focuses include Caring and Connecting Canadians to Africa, and Increasing Rural African Capacity.
Caring and Connecting is a public outreach program aimed at encouraging Canadians to think about global issues and the choices they make on a daily basis. Increasing Rural African Capacity sends members oversees to participate in capacity-building activities.
The final focus is Advocacy on Canadian Policy, which aims to get world leaders to adopt pro-development policies.
These focuses come to light through various initiatives and events held throughout the school year. One of the larger EWB events is No Shave November, aimed at raising funds for the Junior Fellowship Program. This program sends students overseas to gain firsthand experience in sustainable development initiatives. EWB also runs a reverse trick-or-treating campaign and sends delegates to various conferences throughout the year.
All of these programs aim to educate and inform both EWB members and the general public.
Finally, there are several major initiatives EWB runs throughout the year. These initiatives hope to raise social awareness and get people thinking about choices they make on a daily basis. These decisions can range from where their coffee comes from and who receives the profits, to the impact that their energy consumption has on the environment.
Some of these initiatives are campus based, and others include school and public outreach. The school presentations are geared for elementary and secondary school students. The presentations cover water and the challenges associated with obtaining clean water in developing countries, food and global hunger issues, and global energy issues.
Campus-based initiatives are probably most familiar to engineering students. These initiatives are the Pumpkin Drop, which was held Oct. 16 this year, and Fair Trade Fridays. Pumpkin Drop is held in conjunction with the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, which was the next day, Oct. 17.
Both initiatives are aimed at getting students to become globally conscious, and to make pro-development decisions.
Most Wednesdays at 5:15 p.m., the EWB U of A Chapter holds a meeting in the Colt Design Lab on campus. Anyone interested in learning more or volunteering with the campus chapter is encouraged to attend.
More Info
Formula SAE
Daniel Vaandrager
formula@ualberta.ca.
EWB
www.ualberta.ewb.ca
Email ualberta@ewb.ca.