College of Engineering students are applying their classroom learning in a wide variety of research projects and entrepreneurial ventures. Increasingly, their accomplishments are earning recognition at competitions and bringing greater recognition to the unique opportunities available at Western New England University.
Western New England University Competed in Solar Decathlon China 2018
College of Engineering students and faculty spent eight weeks in China collaborating with counterparts from Xi’an Jiaotong University of China and Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy, to compete in the Solar Decathlon China 2018 competition.
Integrating advanced solar energy utilization technology, 2018 Solar Decathlon China was jointly held by the China National Energy Administration, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the China Association for Overseas Industry Development. Twenty collegiate teams from 10 countries were selected to compete. The competition was held at at Dezhou City, Shandong Province with the theme of “New Town. New Energy.” The competition challenged student teams world-wide to develop a community of sustainable houses. With the goal of developing technology to lower green house gas emissions, organizers hope the competition will drive the growth in Dezhou's renewable energy manufacturing industry, smart grid and power industry, building industry, electric vehicle, industry, and vast home appliance industry. Following the competition, the houses will be open for educational purposes and then sold to families to build a new community.
“Our team came in 14th overall and was placed first in the Commuting Contest, where student decathletes had to operate an electrical vehicle and simulate real world driving and charging conditions throughout the contest period,” said Dr. Kenneth Lee, chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, who oversaw the University’s third Solar Decathlon team. “The competition provided a great international experience for our students.”
U.S Department of Energy Solar Decathlon
Western New England University, Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá, and Universidad Tecnológica Centroamericana teamed up their first U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon to create the EASI House, a modular house designed for the climate of New England. The 680 square-foot, two-bedroom, single-bathroom house is designed to be affordable for an average two-person family. The final judging was held in Irvine, CA, in October 2015, where the EASI house took First Place in Affordability and Second Place in Energy Balance.
Solar Decathlon Latin America and Caribbean
In December, Team PANAMASS, a team of students and faculty from Western New England University and Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá, entered the SMART house, an 800 square-foot, fully solar-powered home which embodies five characteristics in its design: Sustainable, Modular, Recyclable, Aesthetic, and Tropical. The SMART house took First Place in Energy Efficiency and Third Place in Energy Balance in the decathlon which was held in Cali, Colombia. The competition, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Colombian government, challenges university student teams around the world to design and build sustainable houses based on innovation and clean energy technologies.
Western New England University’s Golden Bear Racing Team made great strides in its third year competing in the Baja Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Collegiate Design Series competition taking third place in the grueling Hill Climb event. The competition was held April 27-30 in Gorman, CA. Competing in a field of 110 teams, including RIT, Cornell, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech in addition to international teams from six countries, the Golden Bears also ranked 16th in the Suspension competition, 24th in Maneuverability, and 58th in Acceleration. This year’s Hill Climb performance moved the team up from an 8th place finish last year.
In 2016, the Golden Bear Baja Team competed for the second year in the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International Baja Endurance Race. After a strong showing last year and a complete vehicle overhaul, which shed 150 pounds, this year’s team placed 21st (moving up 8 positions from last year) out of 100 universities worldwide. With a growing membership of freshmen and sophomores, the young team doubled in size this year and engineered and built a vehicle that was eighth in the grueling Hill Climb event.
In its first-ever competition in the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International Baja Endurance Race, the 2015 Golden Bear Baja Team placed 30th overall, 18th in the endurance race, and 10th in the sales presentation.
