Students finished the spring semester with a flurry, showcasing their skills and creativity at the end-of-year Design Expo and competing in various events across the country. More than 430 students displayed their inventions at the largest-ever Design Expo in the ITL Laboratory on April 26, 2008.
Rube Goldberg devices, a prosthetic hand, solar-powered products, hovercrafts, and a bicycle-powered water pump (top photo at left) were among the projects. The People's Choice Award went to mechanical engineering seniors who designed a rotational putter pendulum that closely resembles the putter stroke of a skilled golfer.
CU aerospace engineering students posted their best-ever performance in the AIAA's annual Design-Build-Fly competition in Wichita, Kansas. The "DBF" team's aircraft (middle photo) finished fifth out of 68 entries in the 12th annual event, which challenges students to design, build, and fly a radio-controlled aircraft, awarding points based on a design report as well as performance on a mission designed to test accuracy and efficiency in flight.
Mechanical engineering students, meanwhile, entered two national races this year. Buff Racing finished in the upper quartile at the highly competitive Formula SAE race in Michigan, while a second team designed and built an ultra low-mileage vehicle (bottom photo) to compete in the Shell Eco-Marathon at the California Speedway for the very first time.
"Did you know that in a topple of only nine dominoes, it's possible to knock over a domino 15,000 times the mass of the first domino? And, when the last domino falls, it will have more than 2 million times the energy of the first?" ―CU alumnus Herb Morreale (CompSci '91)
Welcome to the first edition of the CU Engineering Alumni E-Newsletter. I am excited to launch this electronic publication as part of our enhanced alumni outreach program, an effort to engage more alumni with the College of Engineering and Applied Science. You should expect to receive this newsletter three times per year, and I hope that you find it helpful to keep a pulse on what is happening with your alma mater.
