Students take challenge on the road
June 1, 2009
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Members of Mississippi State’s hybrid vehicle team will travel to Canada next week for the first phase of EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge competition.
It is the newest installment of the Department of Energy and General Motor’s advanced vehicle technology competitions. The program challenges 17-competitively selected university teams to re-engineer a Saturn VUE to optimize fuel efficiency while preserving performance and consumer appeal.
“The EcoCAR program is an integral part of what we do at the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems,” Dr. Roger King, center director, said. “It brings together the many engineering aspects of vehicles and puts it into practice for students while giving them the opportunity to learn real world engineering.”
In February, the team announced its plans to employ an extended range, plug-in hybrid vehicle architecture. Without ever touching a car, the team members have utilized advanced computer modeling programs to design and simulate their vehicle’s operation.
Early tests indicate that the team’s vehicle will be capable of achieving an all-electric range of 40 miles. That would offset all of the petroleum use for the 78 percent of Americans who drive 40 miles or less each day. Once the electric charge is depleted, range-extending technology included in the design will allow the vehicle to run on fuel so as to not limit motorists’ driving range. The battery can be recharged using a standard electrical outlet.
In next week’s round of competition, the team will be judged on its use of a hardware-in-the-loop set-up, which essentially replicates the functions of the car’s engine without the car. The team must showcase its simulations and give presentations to the judges about their design, research, implementation, and outreach activities.
“I expect the competition to be tough,” explained team member Susan Salkeld. “I know we will be busy, but we are ready. This competition is a great thing for the whole university community. Everyone, from a lot of different majors, works together as a team and I really like that.”
Salkeld, a graduate student in software engineering, is one of the 13-team members who will travel to Canada for the competition. The team consists of more than 50 student members, of which several are returning members from the two time national champion ChallengeX team. Dr. Marshall Molen, the teams’ faculty adviser, will accompany the students to the competition.
Active EcoCAR team members by hometown:
AMORY – Jason Camp, a junior in mechanical engineering.
BILOXI – Mechanical engineering juniors Brandon Templin and Mike Trcalek.
BRANDON – Mechanical engineering juniors Jenna Grantham and John Murphy.
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Joshua Hoop, a junior in mechanical engineering.
BROOKHAVEN – Emissions group leader Julian McMillan, a sophomore in chemical engineering.
CARRIERE – Mechanical group leader Michael Barr, a senior in mechanical engineering.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Webmaster Susan Salkeld, a graduate student in software engineering.
CLINTON – Ebikibina Izonfuo, a junior in electrical engineering, and Cameron Hardin, a junior in marketing.
CORINTH – Jon Shumaker, a senior in mechanical engineering.
CRYSTAL SPRINGS – Christopher Bagley, a freshman in mechanical engineering.
DECATUR, Ala. – Matthew Robinson, a freshman in mechanical engineering.
DIAMONDHEAD – Mechanical engineering majors Mark Hussey, a sophomore, and Chris Rogers, a junior.
DIBERVILLE – Zackery Breeland, a freshman in mechanical engineering.
FLORENCE –Powertrain group leader Ryan Williams, a senior in mechanical engineering.
FORT WORTH, Texas – Robert Underwood, a sophomore in interior design.
GERMANTOWN, Tenn. – Nathan McBride, a freshman in mechanical engineering.
GREENWOOD – Karlderek Luckett, a junior in industrial technology.
GULFPORT – Juniors Preston Cauley, Bao Dao, Kevin Wellman and sophomore Josh Troutman, all mechanical engineering, and sophomore biochemistry major Ellas Aldrich.
GUNTOWN – Jon Hall, a senior in mechanical engineering.
HATTIESBURG – Kyle Bullock, a junior in mechanical engineering.
HERMANVILLE – Kyle Myers, a junior in mechanical engineering.
HERNANDO – William Warner, a freshman in mechanical engineering.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Josh Hubbard, a sophomore in mechanical engineering.
JACKSON – Seniors Emily Mitchell, geoscience, and Jarrett England, mechanical engineering.
JONESBORO, Ark. – Will Dickerson, a freshman in electrical engineering.
KILIN – Controls group leader John Robbins, a graduate student in computer engineering.
LAKE CHARLES, La. – Michael Sofferin, a senior in mechanical engineering.
LEAKESVILLE – Charles Dueitt, a senior in mechanical engineering.
MADISON, Ala. – Juniors Michael Mirrielees, marketing, and Liza Sisson, business information systems, as well as sophomore James Lofton, software engineering.
MCCOOL – Team leader Matthew Doude, a graduate student in mechanical engineering.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Mechanical engineering majors Travis Danis, a freshman, and Steve Wren, a senior.
MERIDIAN – Marketing majors Bruce Clay, senior, and Emily Donald, junior.
MUMBAI, India – Abdul Afoo Parkar, a graduate student in mechanical engineering.
OCEAN SPRINGS – John Bradley, a freshman in computer engineering.
OKOLONA – Justin Hughes, a junior in mechanical engineering.
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Tom Goddette, a sophomore in mechanical engineering.
PHILADELPHIA – David McLaurin, a graduate student in aerospace engineering.
PICAYUNE –Ian Ladner, a freshman in mechanical engineering, John Rose, a junior in electrical engineering, and Chris Bossier, a freshman in computer engineering.
RIDGELAND – Mechanical engineering majors Philip Cranford, a senior, and Andrew Wilson, a junior.
SOUTH KOREA – Hyo Jeong Park, a freshman in communication.
STARKVILLE – Outreach coordinator Lauren Cobb, a senior in marketing, and Michael Asa, a junior in mechanical engineering.
TABRIZ, Iran – Sasan Nouranian, a graduate student in chemical engineering.
TERRY – Malcolm Alford, a junior in mechanical engineering.
TUPELO – Electrical group leader James Felkins, a sophomore in electrical engineering.
WESSON – Benton Bell, a junior in mechanical engineering.