Truck race employs physics, innovation

Mechanical engineering seniors (seated, from left) Gabe Newell, Eric Nussenblatt and Scott Shapiro and others watch as entries in the Formula-MAE Truck Racing Competition cross the finish line in the Ramin Room in Bartels Hall Dec. 2. The competition, which is like "a grown-up version of the Pinewood Derby for Boy Scouts," according to Professor Charles Williamson, is a final project for mechanical engineering students in the Experimental Lab in Fluids and Heat Transfer (MAE 427). The 18-inch big rigs (which can weigh a maximum of 20 ounces) are designed in just a few days, and students have to consider wind resistance, physics fundamentals and friction in their design and construction. This year, 52 teams entered the competition. The winning team employed a torpedo that shot out of the rear of the truck as it reached the level portion of the track. Medals were handed out to finalists and to teams that placed in the "Beauty" and "Innovation" categories. Williamson purchased the track and electronics with funds from the Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellowship in 1999. Bina Lokchander