UA Engineering Students Launch Solar Boat

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - University of Arkansas engineering students will launch their solar boat on Monday, June 5. The launching ceremony will be at 9:00 a.m. in front of the Bell Engineering Center on Dickson Street. In case of rain, the ceremony will be in the Bell Center atrium.

Immediately after the ceremony, the boat will leave for New Orleans, where it will compete in Solar Splash 2000, the Seventh Annual Solar/Electric Boat Regatta. At this world championship competition, the U of A will face off against competitors such as the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, University of Massachusetts, University of Michigan, Columbia University and Virginia Polytechnic University.

"I am really proud of what our students have done," said Kraig Olejniczak, associate professor of electrical engineering and faculty sponsor for the project. "Considering that we only started this in January, it is amazing what they were able to accomplish in such a short time."

Twelve UA students designed and constructed the solar boat and will race it in a series of competitions on Lake Pontchartrain June 7 - 11. Events include one- and two-person slaloms, sprints and endurance races.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for our students to get some great team experience," explained Olejniczak. "They had a chance to apply the things they learned in class and learn about real-world problems like getting materials in time."

The students worked on the multidisciplinary team of mechanical and electrical engineers. Other faculty and staff sponsors for the project are Aicha Elshabini, electrical engineering department head, Alan Mantooth, associate professor of electrical engineering, and Doug Wilde, project manager for the High Density Electronics Center.