A team of 15 fourth-year UWindsor engineering students is celebrating after their entry in the Society of Automotive Engineers 2008 Baja competition took eighth place overall in a field of 120 universities from as far away as India, Brazil and Venezuela.
The competition, held north of Montreal June 11 to 14, places student vehicle designs under rigorous design judging, rough terrain and a four-hour endurance race. The student teams design, build, test, promote and fund a vehicle, then bring them to compete head-to-head against their peers.
Automotive engineering major Ghassan Dardona, who co-captained the UWindsor team, said the school's performance this year was the best in its involvement in the competition. It finished fifth in endurance, third in suspension and traction, twelfth in design, fourth in maneuverability and fifth in design report.
"We think we could have done better, but we hit a few snags," said Dardona. "But we are very excited when you're talking about 120 universities worldwide."
He said the competition was incredibly fun—"it's a year's work being put to the the test in a few days."
The capstone project introduces engineering students to real-world considerations, Dardona said.
"Many engineers live in a dream, but this gives you a wake-up call," he said.
Learn more on the project Web site.
Engineering student Ryan Graham, co-captain of the UWindsor team, puts its entry through its paces in a test of suspension and traction on a course in Orford, Quebec.
News Story provided by University of Windsor Daily News.