Model Car Race Tests Students Engineering, Design Skills

ARGONNE, Ill., April 27 -- Science and engineering education will be on a roll at the Chicago Regional Fuel Cell and Solar Car Race Competition, to be held Saturday, April 30, at CNH America LLC - Burr Ridge Operations located at 7 South 600 County Line Road, Burr Ridge, IL. Registration begins at 9 a.m., and racing begins at 11 a.m.

The competition, for students in grades six, seven and eight, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and Argonne National Laboratory, with additional support from CNH, General Motors and the Society of Automotive Engineers.

Each team begins with a standardized kit that includes an electrical motor powered by either a solar panel or a fuel cell. From there, the students use whatever materials they choose to craft their vehicle. The fastest cars are typically lightweight, functional vehicles with an efficient powertrain, low- drag aerodynamics, and minimal rolling friction. Steering is not a concern because the cars will be guided by wires running the lengths of the 10- and 20-meter-long race courses.

The contest allows students to work as a team while experimenting with different car designs and solving engineering problems. Within each of the two classes, vehicles will compete in a double-elimination tournament to determine the fastest car. Prizes will be awarded to the highest-performing teams, and design awards will also be given based on technology, craftsmanship, the car's appearance and a working knowledge of the car's design.

The results of the fuel cell car competition will help determine the Chicago region's representative to the National Middle School Science Bowl in June. The team with the best overall performance in the academic science bowl event -- held earlier this month -- and the fuel cell car competition will advance to the national level. This year's participants in the Fuel Cell and Solar Car Race Competition include:

  AFC Middle School, Franklin Grove      Hadley Jr. High School, Glen Ellyn
  Ames Middle School, Chicago            Hinton Elementary School, Chicago
  Byrne School, Hinsdale                 Jerling Junior High, Orland Park
  Chippewa Middle School, Des Plaines    Madison Jr. High School, Naperville
  Crone Middle School, Naperville        MCC Full Time School, Morton Grove
  Daniel Boone School, Chicago           Pulaski Academy, Chicago
  Daniel Wright Jr. High School,         Roosevelt Middle School,
   Lincolnshire                           River Forest
  Eisenhower Junior High, Darien         St. John's Lutheran School,
  Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School,         LaGrange
   Oak Park                              Yorkville Middle School, Yorkville

Last year's champion from the Chicago region, Roosevelt Middle School in River Forest, placed second out of 20 teams at the national level in the academic competition last year. Roosevelt again won this year's regional academic science bowl. However, the second and third place teams from this year's academic science bowl -- Chippewa Middle School in Des Plaines and Madison Jr. High School in Naperville -- could still win the overall competition with a strong showing in the fuel cell car competition.

The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory conducts basic and applied scientific research across a wide spectrum of disciplines, ranging from high-energy physics to climatology and biotechnology. Since 1990, Argonne has worked with more than 600 companies and numerous federal agencies and other organizations to help advance America's scientific leadership and prepare the nation for the future. Argonne is operated by the University of Chicago as part of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science national laboratory system.

CNH is the power behind leading agricultural and construction equipment brands of the Case and New Holland brand families. The company's Burr Ridge Operations is located at the northwest corner of the Stevenson Expressway (I-55) and County Line Road in Burr Ridge More information about CNH and its products can be found on line at http://www.cnh.com/ .

The Society of Automotive Engineers provides a forum for engineers involved in the design and production of all kinds of vehicles and their components. It also provides several student participation programs such as the Fuel Cell/Solar Car Competition, to cultivate engineering interest in younger members.