Model car race tests students' engineering, design skills

ARGONNE, Ill. (April 26, 2006) — Chicago area middle school students will race to see who has built the best model car at a Fuel Cell Car Competition Saturday, April 29, at the Museum of Science and Industry, located at 57 th Street and Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. and racing begins at 11:15 a.m. in the Museum's West Pavilion. The competition is part of the Chicago Regional Science Bowl sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and Argonne National Laboratory.

Each team is provided with fuel cell car supplies including a reversible fuel cell which is the only item required to be used. Teams may use only one motor on the car.

The rest of the car design and components are limited only by the students' imaginations. They will need to design the chassis, gears, wheels, axles and gas collection/storage tank.

The competition requires students to use applied science, and engineering skills to meet technical challenges comparable to those that scientists and engineers face every day.

The competition's objective is to design and build a vehicle that will complete a race in the shortest possible time. The cars will race on a 10-meter course.

The race winner will be the team whose vehicle is the top finisher in a series of head-to-head, double-elimination rounds. Awards will be given to the top three fastest cars

Design awards also will be given based on innovation (system design), technology (powertrain/chassis), craftsmanship/appearance and presentation.

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 at the University of Denver. The team with the best overall performance in an academic science bowl event — held earlier this year — and the fuel cell car competition will advance to the national level.

This year's participants in theregional Fuel Cell and Solar Car Race Competition include:

The competition, for students in grades six, seven and eight, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, Argonne National Laboratory, CNH Case New Holland, General Motors, the Society of Automotive Engineers and the Museum of Science and Industry.

CNH Case New Holland 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 Case New Holland and its products can be found on line at 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 and A World in Motion to cultivate engineering interest in younger members.

Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America 's scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.

For more information, please contact Steve McGregor (630/252-5580 or media@anl.gov) at Argonne.