Engineering Students at Work

Despite another strong performance at the Arizona Regional last week, Team Hyper 69 came up just short again, and was eliminated in the semifinals of the First Robotics Competition on Saturday. The team's overall record is now 17-7 in 2009 Lunacy competition.

The team opened competition with an impressive 8-1 record in the qualifying round, putting them in second place out of 44 teams. That proved good enough to advance to the quarterfinal round, where they were placed in an alliance with Team 498, the ...Read More

After going 5-2 in the qualifying matches, Team Hyper 69 won two quarterfinal matches, but lost two semifinal matches and was eliminated from this weekend's Boston Regional Competition.

Team Hyper competed in the quarters and semis in an alliance with two other Mass. teams: Team 126, Gael Force from Clinton High School, and Team 2593, Brobot from Peabody Veterans Memorial High School.

The eventual regional champion teams were Team 61, Shifters from Upton, MA; Team 190, Gompei and the H.E.R.D. from Worcester Polytechnic Institute; and Team...Read More

Team Hyper 69 has seen its share of success in competition, and so far it seems 2009 is no different.

After one full day of competition Hyper has five wins in seven competitions, which is good enough to place them in the top 10 out of 53 teams going into the final day of the Boston Regional.

This year's game is Lunacy, which Boston First describes as a competition between two three-team allia...Read More

After months of preparation Hyper Robotics Team 69 begins competition today at the Boston Regional Competition at Boston University's Agganis Areana.

Thursday's agenda includes unpacking the robots; pit and machine shop work; registration and inspection; and practice rounds for the robots.

Friday will feature the competition's opening ceremonies, seeding matches, an awards ceremony, and a team social. Hyper Robotics will also be competing for the Chairman's Award, which was prepared by student Abby Egan and mentors Kirsten Whitten and Michelle Maguire.

On Saturday team...Read More

If a team could choose an organization to provide engineering mentors for its robotics competition, you would think NASA would be often at the top of the list. With its resources and expertise, NASA's sponsorship would be a benefit for any of the teams competing in the FIRST Robotics competition.

For the three FIRST competitors from Alabama, and one from Illinois that will be sponsored by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL, the reward is surely a highly sought-after opportunity going into the 2009 competition.

The four teams are from Limestone Career Technical Center in Athens, AL, ...Read More

Bringing efficient and sustainable energy to underdeveloped regions of the world can benefit the economy and environment worldwide. Helping provide electricity to rural Africa in particular is a project that could revolutionize a continent.

The student group HELP (Humanitarian Engineering Leadership Program) from Dartmouth College's Thayer School of Engineering are currently working on a project in Africa to bring hydroelectric power to remote areas of Rwanda. In September the group set up two hydroelectric turbines...Read More

Thanks to its participation in an informational event on wind turbines, Team Hyper is one step closer to their financial goal to raise money to attend next year’s competitions.

The Quincy 2000 Collaborative and the Quincy Technology Council awarded the team with a $1200 check at an October 14 event at the Quincy Historical Society.

The money was raised through donations for admission at the June event to spread information on wind turbines, which featured Mayor Thomas P. Koch. The October event was the second in the series of informational meetings and it featured a discussion on the Green Communities Act and how it affects wind energy projects in Quincy...Read More

If you’re an engineer or a student interested in working toward a technological breakthrough, Tanya Vlach has a project for you.

After losing her eye in a 2005 car accident, the San Francisco artist is calling on engineers to design a prosthetic eye for her that also functions as a Web cam.

Vlach is seeking an “eye cam” that is more advanced than her acrylic prosthetic. She wants her new eye to be able to dilate with light changes and allow her to control camera functions like zoom, focus, and power by blinking.

When news of her quest hit the Internet via a blog, Kevin Kelly’s Lifestream, she posted her own blog entry with d...Read More

Going green isn’t just important for engineers in the automotive industry. Buildings are more responsible than the transportation industry for emissions issues, and account for a third of the energy used worldwide.

With the environment being a cause for concern worldwide and construction always in high demand, it is important for young engineers to learn to think in terms of energy efficiency.

Dave Sommer of Trane is setting out to make this message heard in Indiana by meeting with Indiana University-Bloomington students to teach them how being energy efficient as enginee...Read More

Being on a robotics team isn’t all that different from being involved in any other team activity. It may even take more dedication, but like any team cooperation is key.

Like student-athletes, members of Quincy Public Schools’ robotics team, Team Hyper, have academic standards to adhere to during the robotics season, responsibilities to the team, and serious competitions. However, the atmosphere and skill sets required are different.

“It is similar in that we all work together toward a certain goal,” said Jason Savage, a veteran member of Team Hyper who works on the mechanical side of the robots. “I’d say r...Read More

Even with the merciful drop in gas prices in recent months, consumers and manufacturers are looking for ways to save gas and decrease pollution with new vehicle designs.

Last month it was announced that students from RV College of Engineering in Bangalore, India designed and developed a car that could go about 112 miles on just a liter of fuel.

The mechanical engineering students created an aero-dynamic and light weight vehicle with an air-cooled engine. The 120-pound car is only ten feet long and two and a half feet wide and tall, so there’s only room for the driver, who has to be in a reclining position.

While the technology of that car is an achievement, the design may not have it on its way to mass production. Another design that will soon be introduced to...Read More

At another Wednesday afternoon meeting, the students of the Hyper Robotics team attended to their various responsibilities as they prepare for the upcoming robotics season.

The mechanical part of the team worked on designing a new tool crate, so that the team’s tools will be organized conveniently during competition. One student involved in the process was junior Jason Savage, who explained how in preparation for competition, experienced members have been teaching those new to the team how to build robots.

Savage, who aspires to be a mechanical engineer, sees the valuable experience he can gain by being involved with the team.

“It gives you a hands-on experience in engineering,” said Savage. “Mechanical engineering, electrical and computer science is all kind ...Read More

You’ve probably heard the worries that the US is falling behind in science and technology and looking for more students to pursue careers in these fields, but apparently engineering and computer science students are declining around the world, in Europe, Australia, Japan, and India.

Alarmed by this trend, and worried about the effect it could have on public welfare and technological progress, IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) has partnered with the NAE (National Academy of Engineering) to produce a report, &ldq...Read More

Nicholas Kramer has his own Web site dedicated to origami, Origami Squared. He identifies a relationship between origami and engineering by using the folded paper art to demonstrate how physical structures are built and behave.

The 14-year-old York Township, PA native knows a bit about engineering himself, as he studies it at York College of Pennsylvania on a full scholarship.

At age 8, after struggling to pay attention in elementary school, Kramer scored above a ninth-grade learning level. He then began home-schooling where he excelled with the freedom of learning at his own pace. When he was 12, Kramer enrolled part-time at York College, and after graduation h...Read More

Starting a business requires a lot of resources and comes with a high risk of failure.

For those reasons, business incubator programs are designed to provide support for businesses to accelerate the successful development of entrepreneurial companies.

Ohio University’s Innovation Center offers business services, resources, and facilities to promote and aid entrepreneurship. The center features a business incubation program that provides management guidance, technical assistance, consulting, rental space, equipment, and assistance in obtaining financing. The goal of the program is to allow businesses to become financially viable and independent.

Through the program, Sang-Soo Kim, an associate professor of civil engineering in the Russ...Read More