Students design, model, and manufacture to race
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NEWS
RELEASE
March 9, 2009
Students design, model and manufacture to
race
Indiana's Formula OneTM in Schools Technology
Challenge will be held at IUPUI on March 11.
Indianapolis, IN (March
9, 2009) - Students are revving up their engines and preparing for race time
at the Formula OneTM (F1) Technology
Challenge for Indiana schools. The
event, which will take place on March 11 at the IUPUI campus, gives students
the opportunity to showcase their work and take the model F1 cars they've been
working on to the starting grid.
The F1 in Schools Challenge is a competition for teams of
three to six students between the ages of 11 and 18 to design and manufacture
miniature CO2-powered racing cars.
Once made, students not only race their cars, but also put together a
portfolio of their work to be on display and prepare to give a five-minute oral
presentation to a panel of judges. This
year, ten teams from middle schools and high schools around the state have
registered to participate in the challenge.
"The F1 in Schools Challenge allows students to take their
initial ideas and develop these ideas into something tangible that can
be
tested for performance. Students use 3-D
modeling CAD software and apply engineering skills to complete a
project they
can truly be excited about. It's
competitive, creative, and a whole lot of fun," said Mike Fitzgerald,
Technology Education Specialist for the Indiana Department of Education.
The F1 competition is designed to allow students to
experience engineering in another facet.
The students learn to work as a team as they fill different
roles, such as team manager, resources manager, manufacturing engineer, design
engineer, and graphic designer. From
a design and manufacturing standpoint, the students work with computer-aided
design (CAD) software to create virtual
3-D models of their cars and then translate their designs into reality by means
of CNC milling machines. Finally, teams
promote their cars
through a variety of marketing efforts, such as procuring sponsors; developing
sponsorship decals and a consistent color scheme; and producing a design folder
with initial design ideas, design development information, testing evidence and
graphical renderings. Designing the car to follow rules and regulations
and meet certain specifications is also something students have to think
through.
The F1 in Schools Challenge was an initiative started in
2000 to raise the profile of engineering as a career option and assist with the
teaching of the subject in schools and colleges, and it has now grown to be a
global competition involving 22 countries. The winner of the Indiana challenge
will advance to nationals, which will
be held from June 28 to July 2 at the national Technology Student Association
Conference in Denver, Colorado.
The winner of the national contest will then advance to compete on
an international level at the 2010 F1 in Schools World Championships.
F1 in Schools USA
is currently sponsored by Pitsco, Solidworks, and Denford Inc. Visit
http://www.f1inschools.us/ for more details on F1 in Schools.
About the Purdue School of
Engineering and Technology at IUPUI:
The mission of the
Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI is to be one of the best
urban university leaders in the disciplines of engineering and technology
recognized locally, nationally, and internationally. The school's goal is to provide
students an education that will give them the leverage to be leaders in their
communities, industry, and society. For additional information on the School of
Engineering & Technology, go to http://www.engr.iupui.edu.
About the F1 in Schools Challenge:
The F1 in Schools challenge is a unique technology competition that
involves the construction of a 1/20th-scale Formula One (F1) racing car. This
standards-based challenge seeks to raise the profile of engineering among young
people and give them access to the latest technology in the engineering and
manufacturing world. In addition to the
Technology Student Association (TSA), the F1 Team in Schools Challenge is
supported by a worldwide network of companies including its founding partners -
Denford, Inc.; Jaguar Inc.; BAE Systems Inc.; and Pitsco, Inc. For
more information on the F1 in Schools Challenge, visit http://www.f1inschools.us.
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