Contact: Bob Ratliff
A motorized vehicle designed, built and operated by Mississippi State mechanical engineering majors is among the top university entries completing the 1999 Mini-Baja Midwest competition.
Of almost 100 schools taking part, MSU won first place in the design report and ninth overall at the Society of Automotive Engineers International-sponsored event in Troy, Ohio.
A local favorite, the University of Akron, was the overall winner, followed closely by Brazil's Centro Federal de Educacao Tecnologica de Minas and the Ecole de Technologie Superieure in Montreal, Canada.
"The SAE Mini-Baja provides engineering students from throughout the world the opportunity to design, build and test an off-road vehicle that will survive the severe punishment of rough terrain," said Bill Jones, MSU's student SAE chapter adviser. "The competition offers students real-world lessons in project management, teamwork, communication, design, and manufacturing."
An identical Briggs & Stratton 8-horsepower engine propels each vehicle. The student teams are responsible for constructing the rest, using both customized stock parts and parts they design and manufacture themselves.
Jones, a mechanical engineering professor, said some 10 members of the chapter worked on the award-winning entry from its initial design through the completion of construction.
In addition to being eagerly anticipated, the annual competition is very demanding, according to team member Brian Dykes, a Vicksburg senior.
"We met as a group every week to discuss the design and make changes," Dykes said. "Our entire car was designed in the computer using AutoCAD, with virtually every part illustrated in 3-D."
Having a detailed computer model helped take the guesswork out of the construction phase. Senior Richard Hosch of Meridian completed most of the computer design.
"Richard could extract a print of each tube of the frame, complete with dimensions," Dykes said. "We then could cut and shape it based on the drawing and get an exact fit."
This year's entry in the competition was the seventh for MSU, but only the second this decade. The university's 1998 vehicle finished 14th in a field of about 90.
In addition to Dykes and Hosch, the 1999 MSU team included sophomore Brian Christian of Booneville, senior Sammy Cornelius of Walnut, senior Micael Edwards of Clinton, senior Gabriel Lancaster of Bentonia, Aaron Massengill, a May graduate from Pearl, senior Jason Parkerson of Greenville, and junior Jim Ragsdale of Newellton, La.
True Temper of Amory, HMC Technology of New Albany, Marine Gears of Greenville, and Trane Co. of Memphis, Tenn., were MSU team sponsors.
Founded in 1905, the SAE includes more than 75,000 engineers, educators, students, and others in almost 100 countries. The organization promotes automotive engineering standards, professional development and public awareness programs in the areas of vehicle safety and maintenance and energy resource conservation.