The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology's underclass Baja SAE team finished in first place in the endurance event held during the recent 2008 Baja SAE competition, held at the Caterpillar Edwards Proving Grounds in Peoria, Ill. The contest pitted the School of Mines against nearly 100 teams from across the country and around the world and tested the team's ability to design, fabricate and race an off-road vehicle.
The School of Mines raced two cars. Car number 7, a new car designed and built by the senior students this year (with assistance from underclassmen), and car number 117, the car built last year and managed by the underclassmen this year. Car number 117 won the endurance event. Car number 117 also won the sales presentation event. Car number 7 was in the design finals and placed in fourth place overall in the design event.
In the overall competition, car number 117 finished in fourth place and car number 7 finished in sixth place. Also, car number 117 scored the highest design report score with 49 out of 50. Car number 7 scored 48 and tied for third place.
Baja SAE simulates real-world engineering design projects and their related challenges. Engineering students are tasked to design and build an off-road vehicle that will survive the severe punishment of rough terrain. The object of the competition is to provide students with a challenging project that involves the planning and manufacturing tasks found when introducing a new product to the consumer industrial market.
The students competing: Ayla Brausen (chemical engineering, Ipswich), Amanda Bumann (mechanical engineering, Sioux Falls), Cody Egle (mechanical engineering, McCook, Neb.), Jason Fields (mechanical engineering, Milbank), Ben Franchuk (mechanical engineering, Dickinson, N.D.), Pat Fraser (mechanical engineering, Huron), Chris George (mechanical engineering, Huron), Ben Grassel (mechanical engineering, Spearfish), Craig Grunenfelder (M.S. biomedical engineering, Billings, Mont.), Jesse Heaton (mechanical engineering, Midland), Wade Heidecker (mechanical engineering, Belle Fourche) , Stephanie Johnson (mechanical engineering, Rapid City), Trevor Krugman (mechanical engineering, Wayne. Neb.), Amery Kuhl (mechanical engineering/physics, Worthington, Minn.), Kris Olson (mechanical engineering, Snohomish, Wash.), Jason Williams (mechanical engineering, Piedmont), and Travis Zelfer (metallurgical engineering/mechanical engineering, Black Hawk)
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