URI Students Speed Into 5th At National Mini-Baja Contest
Eleven engineering students from the University of Rhode Island got down and dirty in the swamps and forests of Florida at the national Mini-Baja contest in April.
The URI team placed fifth out of 50 university teams. Ecole de Technologie Superieure of Montreal came in first place while Bucknell University placed second. This year’s URI team received the best placement the University has ever had in this contest.
The competition occurred at the University of Central Florida and was sponsored by Briggs and Stratton. The competition asked students to design, build and test an off-road vehicle that would be able to surmount rocky terrain as well as float and navigate in deep water.
“The key to our success was having a lightweight car with good gear reduction,” said team captain Jason Van Buren in a URI press release. “Our car was one of the lightest ones at the competition. It also had a single stage gear, while most of the others had three or four gears. It was extremely simple to design and build, and the judges liked that. They wanted to see practicality and cost-effectiveness,” added Van Buren, a resident of Wappingers Falls, N.Y.
Vehicles were judged based upon their design, safety, sales presentation, and cost before competing in tests of acceleration, speed, land and water maneuverability, and a weighed sled pull.
URI’s vehicle suffered because of its lightweight body design in the sled pull but the team still managed to come in third in that portion of the competition.
The final competition had teams racing a two-mile course over various obstacles including jumps, mud, and a lake.
In addition to captain Van Buren, the URI team comprised: Adam Giuliano of Pawcatuck, Conn., Jason Issertell of Merrimack, N.H., Claire Stegall of Jamestown, R.I., Ryan Tanner of West Kingston, R.I., Robert Nealon of Schenectady, N.Y., Evan Thompson of Oak Park, Ill., Chris Lepore of Cranston, R.I., and Kyle Chandler of St. James, N.Y.
The URI team placed fifth out of 50 university teams. Ecole de Technologie Superieure of Montreal came in first place while Bucknell University placed second. This year’s URI team received the best placement the University has ever had in this contest.
The competition occurred at the University of Central Florida and was sponsored by Briggs and Stratton. The competition asked students to design, build and test an off-road vehicle that would be able to surmount rocky terrain as well as float and navigate in deep water.
“The key to our success was having a lightweight car with good gear reduction,” said team captain Jason Van Buren in a URI press release. “Our car was one of the lightest ones at the competition. It also had a single stage gear, while most of the others had three or four gears. It was extremely simple to design and build, and the judges liked that. They wanted to see practicality and cost-effectiveness,” added Van Buren, a resident of Wappingers Falls, N.Y.
Vehicles were judged based upon their design, safety, sales presentation, and cost before competing in tests of acceleration, speed, land and water maneuverability, and a weighed sled pull.
URI’s vehicle suffered because of its lightweight body design in the sled pull but the team still managed to come in third in that portion of the competition.
The final competition had teams racing a two-mile course over various obstacles including jumps, mud, and a lake.
In addition to captain Van Buren, the URI team comprised: Adam Giuliano of Pawcatuck, Conn., Jason Issertell of Merrimack, N.H., Claire Stegall of Jamestown, R.I., Ryan Tanner of West Kingston, R.I., Robert Nealon of Schenectady, N.Y., Evan Thompson of Oak Park, Ill., Chris Lepore of Cranston, R.I., and Kyle Chandler of St. James, N.Y.