Participating for the first time in the ¼
scale tractor design competition sponsored
by ASAE, an Arizona team of
five ABE undergraduate students competed
last Spring in East Moline, IL
and came home with the Rookie of the
Year Award and the Safety Award.
The team, which placed 17th overall
out of 32 teams, included Robert
Acosta, Heather Carnahan, Allan Conger,
Clint
Harrington and Eric Heinz.The students started research for their design in September of 2001, built and tested their prototype between January and April last year, and built their final product in May in time for the competition from May 31 through June 3. While busily working on their tractor, the students campaigned for some serious fundraising as well. They raised approximately $17,000 dollars, of which 20% came from departments and colleges, 30% from private donations, 35 % from the ASUA, and 15% from the faculty.
With strong moral support from their
families and the faculty, the Arizona
team, in addition to their two major
awards, came away with a truly
memorable experience. “It was one of
the most memorable experiences for
all involved. Not only did it bring all
of us together, but it also made everyone
of us friends for life,” offers Mr.
Acosta. “It showed us how to work
under pressure and how to manage our
other obligations to allow time for this
project. And all of the close friendships
that the team members made
with the entire faculty were simply
quite priceless,” he continued.
“It was one of the most memorable experiences for all involved. Not only did it bring all of us together, but it also made everyone of us friends for life . . .”