Challenge X Year 1
Outreach Team Update #3
May 17, 2005
The University of Tulsa has continued to organize outreach events throughout the finals season. On March 14, Christi Patton, Ryan Guldan, Chris Flory, Josh Emerson and Daniel Crunkleton set up a booth at the Tulsa Engineering Challenge (TEC). The event (hosted by the Tulsa Engineering Foundation) pits middle school and high school students against one another in a variety of engineering challenges. Between competitions the 200 students plus their parents and many local engineers learned about the engineering opportunities in the community such as Challenge X.
On March 24, Dr. John Henshaw gave a tour of the ChallengeX facilities and an overview of the project to the students and faculty of Project "Lead the Way", a pre-engineering program for high school children at Central Tech in Drumright, OK. There were a dozen students and one teacher present for the tour.
On March 26, Dr. Henshaw visited the Tulsa Community College Downtown Campus to present the TU Paradyne (hybrid-electric vehicle) to the psychology class of George Black of TCC. The class was participating in a research project related to the psycholgy of technology. The Paradyne shared the stage with a new Honda Accord hybrid and a new Prius. The discussion focused on the technologies of the vehicles and on how ChallengeX is helping increase alternative-fuel vehicle technology.
Then, on March 30 at the Electric Vehicle Center of Technology (EVCT) in Del City, OK, Dr. Robert Strattan, faculty advisor, made a 1 hour presentation, "Hybrid Systems Overview", that included a discussion of Challenge X goals and the University of Tulsa's participation. The audience was 11 engineers and technicians from the Eaton Hybrid Powertrain division in Michigan receiving training at the EVCT. The audience members are working on advanced hybrid-electric powertrains for industrial and commercial delivery van vehicles. The EVCT has one of the few programs in the nation for certifying electrical vehicle technicians and offering training programs on EV and HEVs. The EVCT is a branch of the Mid-Del Technology Center, a part of Oklahoma's Career Tech educational system.
On April 4, Christina Bishop and Ryan Guldan presented a Powerpoint presentation to the Materials Research Group at the University of Tulsa. This presentation gave an overview of the ChallengeX project, including a demonstration of the software used for the project. The purpose of the presentation was to encourage new participation by graduate students and facilitate the use of ChallengeX software.
On April 12, Luke Florer, senior Electrical Engineering student, made an oral presentation titled "Challenge X Vehicle Control Strategy" to the Tulsa Section of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He described the work he has done for the Challenge X project and his senior EE design project course relating to the control strategy to be used in the hybrid-electric vehicle. This oral presentation was 1 of the 3 chosen for oral presentations from 18 presentations submitted. This annual IEEE Tulsa Section meeting offers students from the 4 IEEE student branches in the Section (ORU, OSU-Stillwater, OSU-Tulsa and TU) an opportunity to present their project work to the local professional community.
TU hosted a Classic Car Show at its Spring Football Scrimmage on April 15. Dorian Marx, Christina Bishop, and Chris Flory presented one of their hybrid vehicles along with the classic cars and spoke with over 100 car enthusiasts about the Challenge X project.
On April 20, TU student Ryan Guldan, and advisors Dr. Daniel Crunkleton and Dr. Robert Strattan spoke at a booth at the Tulsa Downtown Enviro Expo. This event was set up to educate people about keeping the environment clean. It was the largest gathering of environmental groups of the year. TU Challenge X presented one of their hybrid-electric vehicles and spoke to over 200 local businesspeople about the Challenge X project.
Dorian Marx and faculty advisor Dr. Christi Patton spoke to 22 high school students enrolled in an Intro to Engineering class at the Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences. They presented the solar and fuel cells cars newly acquired by an outreach grant and spoke about different alternative power methods for cars. The next week, Christina Bishop, Dorian Marx, and Dr. Christi Patton went back to the Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences to participate in their Science Day program. They led hands-on activities to demonstrate the advantages of advanced vehicle technologies to 90 middle school students. These activities included material provided by GMAbility.
On May 5th, Dr. Robert Strattan made a presentation, "Hybrid-Electric Vehicle Developments", to the Oklahoma Section of SAE. The presentation included a discussion of the Challenge X goals and the University of Tulsa's participation in these activities.
Dorian Marx and Christina Bishop presented the Paradyne (HEV) and ChallengeX information at the Ozone Alert Kickoff at Drillers Stadium in Tulsa on May 11. This event gathered 100 local businesspeople, academics, and city officials for a presentation on what the City of Tulsa can do to reduce ozone problems during the summer months. TU was given a spot at the entrance for the event so that we could have ample opportunity to meet with all of the local participants. The keynote speaker was County Commissioner Bob Dick; below he posed with Dorian and Christina to show his support for TU and the ChallengeX project.
From May 13 to May 16, Dr. Robert Strattan, faculty advisor, participated in the 2005 Tour de Sol Championship and the GreenCar Monte Carlo Rally driving his Toyota Prius HEV. The Tour de Sol is organized by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) and includes competitive performance benchmarking events for production and prototype vehicles using advanced sustainable energy technology and educational awareness displays. The displays were at the Saratoga Springs, New York auto show and Empire Plaza at the New York State Capitol in Albany. The Rally measured the fuel efficiency of hybrid and alternate fueled vehicles as they travelled to the Tour de Sol from home locations throughout the nation. The University of Tulsa has participated in the Tour de Sol with student entries in the prototype HEV category for the years 1998 through 2004. Dr. Strattan has entered his personal Prius in the production HEV category every year since 2001. He displayed material describing the ChallengeX goals and the University of Tulsa's activities at this event.