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Penn State EcoCAR team members with Pittsburgh's Pirate Parrot
The Penn State EcoCAR team attended the fourth annual SpikesFest on Valentine’s Day, with a goal of raising awareness in their local community about the EcoCAR Challenge. SpikesFest, a family-friendly indoor baseball festival, is put on each year by the State College Spikes minor league baseball team. More than 1,500 State College residents attended the festival, and were given the opportunity to hang out with the mascots from both the State College Spikes and Pittsburgh Pirates. In addition, they were able to speak with members of green student organizations and participate in fun activities, such as creating their own baseball cards.
SpikesFest was also a great event to promote the LiveGreen influencer campaign that was initiated by outreach coordinator Dana Bubonovich. “SpikesFest was the perfect opportunity to expand our education outreach efforts to the community,” said Bubonovich.
At the festival, Penn State EcoCAR outreach members handed out pamphlets about their team, as well as LiveGreen bracelets, EcoCAR balloons, coloring pages and word searches for the children. The team was also able to gain support and hang out with local sports mascots. The Nittany Lion, Ike the Spike, and Pittsburgh Pirate Parrot stopped by the EcoCAR booth to show support Penn State’s Advanced Vehicle Team as well as the LiveGreen campaign.
Although most of the crowd consisted of children, many parents and adults were interested to know that college students are taking an active role in developing “greener” vehicle technologies.
Jaclyn Stratten, an outreach team member, was impressed with the amount of adults who were interested and knowledgeable about the EcoCAR Challenge. “While the kids were picking up coloring pages, the parents would ask our engineers in-depth questions about specific features in the vehicle,” said Stratten. “It was great to see the parents engaging as much as the kids.”
Many adults offered suggestions about what they would like to see in a hybrid SUV. One mother with three children asked if the Penn State EcoCAR could include a third row of seating, while another father wished for 50mpg in the E-REV. The event reflected people’s concerns about the environment and their tremendous interest in hybrid vehicles. Many of their suggestions were relevant to all Americans and could be used in future hybrid vehicles.
Overall, the event was a success for the Penn State EcoCAR team. They were able to raise awareness about their program, along with other green initiatives, while having fun and engaging with their local community.
While the engineering students on the Penn State EcoCAR team are working on their E-REV GM-donated vehicle, members of the outreach team are teaching students how to design their own vehicles.
The outreach team hosts educational events to stress the importance of designing hybrid vehicles and using alternative fuels. Students at the K-12 outreach events are assigned to design their own vehicle, using K’NEX Collect and Build Kits, to get a feel for what the Penn State team does for the EcoCAR competition.
Bald Eagle students building their K’NEX vehicle
At an eighth grade presentation at Bald Eagle Junior High in Wingate, Pennsylvania, students in a physical science class paired into teams to build their souped up K’NEX vehicles.
After several drag races to see which design was faster and more aerodynamic, Penn State’s co-team leader, Dave Fecek, asked the students how many groups used directions.
Drag Racing!
“In the EcoCAR competition, you don’t get a complete roadmap,” said Fecek. “You have to take what you have learned in school and apply it to real life.”
The K’NEX Collect and Build Kits turned out to be a wonderful addition to the classroom. In fact, students at Bald Eagle Junior High said this was by far, the best class of the year.
The Penn State team has more than 10 educational outreach events planned this semester. The team plans on upgrading from K’NEX to fuel cell kits in the near future!
The Penn State team has more than 10 educational outreach events planned this semester. The team plans on upgrading from K’NEX to fuel cell kits in the near future!
On October 7, Happy Valley was packed with students, alumni, and fans waiting to see the Penn State Nittany Lions take on the Ohio State Buckeyes. While the stadium was bursting with people ready to watch a great football game, a group of students were close by promoting automotive and energy sustainability.
Nestled on the east side of Beaver Stadium near the MorningStar Solar Home, the Penn State and Ohio State EcoCAR teams were setting up shop for a busy day. Despite the football rivalry, Penn State invited Ohio State to a friendly tailgate, giving friends, family, alumni, and visitors an opportunity to see both hybrid vehicles first hand.
At the tailgate, the teams talked about their vehicle designs for both the EcoCAR and Challenge X advanced vehicle technology competitions (AVTC). Many people stopped by and were interested in learning more about the program. The teams shared stories and discussed the benefits of having programs like EcoCAR offered at their universities.
The sustainability tailgate was a great success. Despite the school rivalry, the EcoCAR teams showed fans and tailgaters that while they hold grudges on the field, they can come together for a sustainable cause. Penn State is excited to carry on the tailgate tradition and is looking forward to showing off their EcoCAR next year.
Penn State and Ohio State team members at the sustainability tailgate
The Penn State EcoCAR team was recently featured in the Fall 2009 issue of Penn State’s Outreach Magazine because of its educational outreach and energy sustainability efforts. When most people think of Penn State, they think “football school” or “research,” never ”outreach.” But the school has a strong interest in serving the people, so the EcoCAR team’s efforts made a perfect story for the magazine. The team takes a dynamic and unique approach to K-12 education, teachs the community ways to reduce energy consumption in everyday life, and strives to educate the Penn State community about energy sustainability and automotive technologies.
Check out the article to learn how the Penn State team plans to “Green Up” the world. The team owes many thanks to Karen Zitomer, for writing the story.
For the Penn State Advanced Vehicle Team, this past week has felt like Christmas! On September 29th, the team finally received their new vehicle from GM. But not only that, they received their ETS and Snap-On Tools set all in one day. The excitement couldn’t have been higher.
The team decided to hold a public debut of their new vehicle and invite local media and sponsors to attend. The event was held Monday, October 5th, from 10:00a.m. – 11:00a.m. in the parking lot/garage facilities of the team, which is sponsored by the Larson Institute. The AVT team was able to secure three speakers for the event: Mechanical and Nuclear Department Head Dr. Karen Thole, Director of the Hybrid and Hydrogen Vehicle Research Laboratory at Penn State Joel Anstrom, and State College Borough Council President Elizabeth Goreham.
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At around the 3-minute mark in this (very well-produced) video you’ll see some familiar faces and the EcoCAR logo. This State of the University address by President Graham Spanier is moving and inspirational. We’re proud (as we’re sure President Spanier is) that Penn State’s Advanced Vehicle Team is spotlighted in the story. The video is more than 20 minutes long, but we know there are plenty of PSU alums who will watch it all the way to the end.
Congrats to the Penn State team!
Penn State Logo
The following blog posting was originally written by Dana Bubonovich for the Penn State University Advanced Vehicle Team blog. We’re re-posting here with Dana’s permission.
On September 2, 2009, the Advanced Vehicle Team took part in the launch of the Green Careers Initiative. The event, which took place at the HUB-Robeson Student Center at the University Park campus, hosted more than 10 ‘green’ clubs and organizations on campus and had an audience of more than 500 students, faculty, and alumni.
Sponsored by the College of Engineering and the Penn State Center for Sustainability, the Green Careers Initiative is a Web site designed to connect students to green careers by allowing them to post their qualifications on the site. These could include: classes, internships, and involvement in green organizations. It also helps connecting students to Penn State alumni in green careers.
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Team member Emily Simmons hands Dara Stillman (tree) flower packets on Earth Day
The team was also on hand during the signing of the EPA’s Sustainability Partnership Program. Penn State was the first university to join this partnership, which signifies the University’s commitment to a reduction in energy use and recycling efforts. After the signing, EPA officials talked with team members about the EcoCAR and Penn State’s efforts in the competition. Many officials seemed pleased with what we have accomplished and hope to work with us in the future.
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For the second straight year, the Penn State team won the Shell Eco-marathon with their car, “Blood, Sweat, and Gears.” The Penn State team bested 50 other teams from around the world on a 1.4-mile track. Read more about the victory here. Penn State also has a team in the EcoCAR Challenge, so clearly the Green Garage is alive and well in Happy Valley.
Congrats to Penn State’s Shell Eco-marathon team.
