On-campus competition draws Valley students

By Bradley Hart
The Collegian

Hundreds of mechanical engineering students from all over the Central Valley converged on the Fresno State campus over the weekend as part of a regional competition.

The Design Engineering Competition 2005 was held on Saturday in one of McLane Hall’s largest lecture rooms.

In addition to Fresno State, the contest included students from Fresno City College, Reedley College and College of the Sequoias.

“Having student engineers work in teams to solve problems prepares them for the real world,” Fresno State mechanical engineering professor Walter Mizuno said in a press release. “The typical student competitors are freshmen engineering students looking to see what they are capable of.”

Students were divided into small teams that were tasked with constructing a self-powered car to perform specific jobs.

During the contest teams put their creations to the test by attempting to make them drive over a small course.

A perfect run required cars to drive down a short flat track and then up a ramp before stopping in a target area at the top.

The cars were ultimately judged on their ability to carry weights over the course. The best performing cars were the ones able to carry the most weight over the whole course, officials said.

The cars were entirely powered by springs taken from ordinary mousetraps. Most teams constructed systems that relied on string pulled through a system of gears to provide driving power for the vehicles.

While some vehicles failed to drive entirely, others drove perfectly to the target area. Vehicles that did not make it all the way down the course were given points based on how far they went.

In addition to the students taking part in the competition, around two dozen spectators attended the event.

According to the university, the competition began nine years ago as a smaller event featuring only two schools and fewer students.

“Because of the success over the years, many new schools have joined and many students have enrolled in engineering as a result of the competition,” Mizuno said.

The annual event was sponsored by The Gas Company, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy. According to the company’s Web site, The Gas Company is the nation’s largest gas distribution utility, providing service to thousands of customers in the Central Valley alone.

Winner Reedley College was given the contest’s trophy for safekeeping until next year’s competition.

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