UA EcoCAR 3 Celebrates STEM Education and Diversity

Hispanic Heritage Month is nationally celebrated during the month of October. According to the U.S. Department of Education, Hispanics make up eight percent of those awarded with certificates and degrees in STEM programs and less than two percent of the STEM workforce consists of people from Hispanic origin. Although the Hispanic heritage is considered underrepresented in STEM programs, many people of Hispanic descent are making waves in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics such as Helen Ocho the first Hispanic female astronaut or Mario Mollina a renowned chemist. During the month of October the UA EcoCAR 3 team had the honor of highlighting the career of an esteemed STEM legend, Dr. José Hernández-Rebollar.

Hernández-Rebollar was born in Puebla, Mexico in 1969. He received his undergraduate degree in electronics from Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla in 1993 and his masters in electronics engineering from Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Optica y Electrónica in 1997. In 1998 Hernández-Rebollar came to the U.S. as a Fulbright scholar at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. At George Washington, he majored in signals and systems, minoring in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and bioelectronics. He earned his Ph.D. in Science in Electrical Engineering from George Washington in 2003.

While studying at George Washington he received funding for researching and inventing a program to turn sign language into spoken word.  By 2003, he created the AcceleGlove. The AcceleGlove translate movements from American Sign Language to spoken words. The AcceleGlove is a glove, placed and strapped onto the arm. By analyzing signals from the hands movement, orientation and position, the system recognizes the sign and speaks the corresponding word.

Since 2003, the use of AcceleGlove has expanded. Along with vocalizing sign language, the glove now helps soldiers communicate silently in the field. The glove could connect a soldier or team to a support drone which would facilitate silent commands between the two. This interaction would allow the soldier to direct the drone to stay high or low or to move a certain way to avoid gunfire.

With countless uses, the AcceleGlove helped open the door to a new generation of communication. Hernández-Rebollar’s invention currently assists over 26 million Americans who are hearing impaired and is even being used in other fields. As a team, UA EcoCAR 3 salutes Mr. Hernandez-Rebollar for his efforts and contributions to society.

The post UA EcoCAR 3 Celebrates STEM Education and Diversity appeared first on Ecocar 3.

via Tumblr http://markgreeley576.tumblr.com/post/132205542072

Sneak Peek: The EcoCAR 3 Camaros Are Coming

When we found out the EcoCAR 3 teams would be receiving the all-new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro from General Motors, we were ecstatic to announce the news to our 500 or so team members from the 16 competing universities. We knew they would be giddy to get under the hood and start re-imagining a greener performance vehicle.

Now, almost a year and a half later, we are gearing up to ship 16 of the first 100 Gen Six Camaros to our teams. In fact, the teams will be receiving the 3.6L V-6 Camaro with the eight-speed automatic transmission in Summit White.

Fortunately for us, we got a sneak peek inside Grand River Assembly to feast our eyes on the cars that our students will soon be tearing down. Made in Lansing, Mich., the Camaro has re-invigorated the facility. GM hired back 500 second-shift jobs, invested $175 million in new equipment and new paint systems, and trained the employees on all-things Camaro assembly.

The irony does not escape us – 16 of the first 100 Camaros will have their powertrain systems and other areas – stripped out within days of rolling off the lines all in an effort to reduce its environmental impact, while maintaining the safety, athletic look and performance expected from this iconic American car.

This is perhaps the most anticipated time for EcoCAR 3, as the engineering dreams of our students will soon come to life. We also know this is an exciting time for future #CamaroSix owners who are ready to take their new babies for a spin as soon as the cars arrive at dealerships in November.

Can’t wait to see the car? Chevrolet is hitting the highways and byways of America now to celebrate the car’s launch. Check out the #FindNewRoads hashtag to see what the Camaro is up to, or visit findnewroadstrip.com to see if there is a stop near you.

The post Sneak Peek: The EcoCAR 3 Camaros Are Coming appeared first on Ecocar 3.

via Tumblr http://markgreeley576.tumblr.com/post/132160812317

Meet the Monkeys and see GMG Rides at SEMA/AAPEX in Vegas!

If you’re going to be at SEMA or AAPEX in Vegas Nov 3-6, not only will you get to see some of our favorite builds, but you’ll also get more than a few chances to meet some of the monkeys. Make sure you wear a Gas Monkey shirt so we can spot you in the crowd. If you want to meet me (Richard Rawlings), Aaron Kaufman, or KC Mathieu, check out the schedule below. You might also see some of the other monkeys and former monkeys like Mike Coy, Dustin Deleon, Jonathan Mansour and Chris “Mater” Montavon out and about at the show. Feel free to say hi to them, too. They don’t bite too hard.

If you want to see one of our rides, stop by the DiabloSport Booth to see our Shart Cat (the Dart we built to race the Roadkill guys), our beautiful black 2005 GT from the season finale of Fast N’ Loud will be parked at the Accuair booth and the ’71 Dodge Challenger that Havoline just gave away to a lucky winner will be on display at the Chevron/Havoline booth at AAPEX, which is also where I’ll be awarding the car to the winner on Wednesday.

Monday Nov 2

2-3:30 Meet Richard at the Liquor Library in McCarren Airport

Tuesday Nov 3

10-12 Meet Richard at Valspar Booth #23513

11-12 Meet KC at the SATA booth #10609

12-1 Meet Richard at the Big Ass Fans Booth #10170

Wednesday Nov 4

10-11am Meet KC at the SLP/Loudmouth Booth #20379

10:30-1:30 Meet Richard at AAPEX at the Chevron/Havoline Booth #2833

11-12pm Meet Aaron at the DiabloSport Booth #22657

1-2pm Meet KC at the 3M Booth #61027

2-3pm Meet KC at the Kaeser Booth #10421

Thursday Nov 5

10-11am Meet KC at the 3M Booth #61027

1-2pm Meet KC at the SATA booth #10609

3-4pm Meet Aaron Kaufman at the DiabloSport Booth #22657

3-4 pm Meet KC at the SLP/Loudmouth Booth #20379

Friday Nov 6

3-3:30pm Meet KC at the Aeromotive Booth #23229

via Tumblr http://markgreeley576.tumblr.com/post/132026265647

UT EcoCAR 3 Team Member Featured in ASME’s Mechanical Engineering Magazine

The University of Tennessee’s EcoCAR 2 and EcoCAR 3 Year One team member, Karson Stone, reflects on the unique opportunities that EcoCAR and UT have offered her in the latest issue of Mechanical Engineering Magazine, published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Karson was thrilled to see her hard work come to fruition, “Seeing my article published was surreal. Since I first joined the EcoCAR 2 team in 2012, I’ve been trying to get a publication out about the work Team Tennessee has been doing in the Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions. The article in the October 2015 edition of the ASME magazine only made me more proud to have been a part of the Tennessee EcoCAR 3 team. Further, my mother is a Mechanical Engineer, so she was clearly shocked as well as filled with pride when she saw the article in ASME’s magazine with my name on it. Since my travels to Seattle for the  EcoCAR 3 Year 1 competition, I have completed a summer internship with Schneider Electric where I worked on a new product line among other major projects. Currently, I am a Junior studying the honors Industrial Engineering curriculum and still following the progress of the Tennessee EcoCAR 3 team.”

Read Karson’s article, here in the latest Mechanical Engineering Magazineand learn more about UT’s Research and Instructional Strategies for Engineering Retention (RISER) program on the program website.

Written by: Emily King and Karson Stone

The post UT EcoCAR 3 Team Member Featured in ASME’s Mechanical Engineering Magazine appeared first on Ecocar 3.

via Tumblr http://markgreeley576.tumblr.com/post/132012081222

Announcing the Winner of our 1971 Dodge Challenger!

Last season on Fast N’ Loud, we took the engine out of a 2015 Scat Pack Dodge Challenger and put it in a 1971 Dodge Challenger. You know, because we’re crazy. Havoline bought the car from us and offered it up as the grand prize in their Bad to the Chrome II Sweepstakes. And the winner is…

via Tumblr http://markgreeley576.tumblr.com/post/131977227072

10 Ways to Reduce Your Environmental Impact

This October marks National Energy Action Month, as proclaimed by President Obama. The goal of National Energy Action Month is to encourage individuals to achieve greater energy security, a more robust economy, and a healthier environment for future generations. EcoCAR 3 is just one of many programs that is transforming the future of energy consumption.

According to the Department of Energy Home Energy Checklist, here are some things that you can do each day to monitor your own environmental impact through energy reduction:

1. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. You have probably heard these words your whole life but the three R’s help to cut down on the amount of waste we throw away. They conserve natural resources, landfill space and energy. Plus, the three R’s save land and money communities must use to dispose of waste in landfills.
2. Turn off your computer monitor when not in use for more than 20 minutes, and turn off both the computer and monitor if you’re not going to use your computer for more than 2 hours.
3. Turn off the lights in unoccupied rooms or consider installing timers, photo cells, or occupancy sensors to reduce the amount of time your lights are on.
4. Check your Energy-saving settings. Start using energy-saving settings on refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, and clothes dryers. Check the age and condition of your appliances. Even if the appliance has a few useful years left, replacing it with a top-efficiency model is generally a good investment.
5. Clean or replace filters in your furnace, air conditioner, and heat pump.
6. Collect your utility bills. Separate electricity and fuel bills. Target the largest energy consumer or the largest bill for energy conservation measures.
7. Plant trees. Reduce your air conditioning costs by planting shade trees and shrubs around your house-especially on the west side.
8. Seal up the largest air leaks in your house—the ones that whistle on windy days, or feel drafty. The worst culprits are usually not windows and doors, but utility cut-throughs for pipes (“plumbing penetrations”), gaps around chimneys and recessed lights in insulated ceilings, and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets. Better yet, hire an energy auditor with a blower door to point out the worst cracks. All the little, invisible cracks and holes may add up to as much as an open window or door without you ever knowing it!
9. Evaluate your driving habits. Drive the speed limit, avoid traffic, slowly accelerate, limit the use of defrosters and air conditioning, and carpool when you can to improve fuel economy.
10. Know that you are making a difference. Change your behavior one day at a time and encourage others to think about their environmental impact. By taking the initiative to monitor your own energy habits, we can create a sustainable future and ensure environmental well-being.

Learn how some of our teams are taking action on energy consumption in their communities here.

The post 10 Ways to Reduce Your Environmental Impact appeared first on Ecocar 3.

via Tumblr http://markgreeley576.tumblr.com/post/131750604967

Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Environmental Impact

This October marks National Energy Action Month, as proclaimed by President Obama. The goal of National Energy Action Month is to encourage individuals to achieve greater energy security, a more robust economy, and a healthier environment for future generations. EcoCAR 3 is just one of many programs that is transforming the future of energy consumption.

According to the Department of Energy Home Energy Checklist, here are some things that you can do each day to monitor your own environmental impact through energy reduction:

1. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. You have probably heard these words your whole life but the three R’s help to cut down on the amount of waste we throw away. They conserve natural resources, landfill space and energy. Plus, the three R’s save land and money communities must use to dispose of waste in landfills.
2. Turn off your computer monitor when not in use for more than 20 minutes, and turn off both the CPU and monitor if you’re not going to use your computer for more than 2 hours.
3. Turn off the lights in unoccupied rooms or consider installing timers, photo cells, or occupancy sensors to reduce the amount of time your lights are on.
4. Check your Energy-saving settings. Start using energy-saving settings on refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, and clothes dryers. Check the age and condition of your appliances. Even if the appliance has a few useful years left, replacing it with a top-efficiency model is generally a good investment.
5. Clean or replace filters in your furnace, air conditioner, and heat pump.
6. Collect your utility bills. Separate electricity and fuel bills. Target the largest energy consumer or the largest bill for energy conservation measures.
7. Plant trees. Reduce your air conditioning costs by plant shade trees and shrubs around your house-especially on the west side.
8. Seal up the largest air leaks in your house—the ones that whistle on windy days, or feel drafty. The worst culprits are usually not windows and doors, but utility cut-throughs for pipes (“plumbing penetrations”), gaps around chimneys and recessed lights in insulated ceilings, and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets. Better yet, hire an energy auditor with a blower door to point out the worst cracks. All the little, invisible cracks and holes may add up to as much as an open window or door without you ever knowing it!
9. Evaluate your driving habits. Drive the speed limit, avoid traffic, slowly accelerate, limit the use of defrosters and air conditioning, and carpool when you can to improve fuel economy.
10. Know that you are making a difference. Change your behavior one day at a time and encourage others to think about their environmental impact. By taking the initiative to monitor your own energy habits, we can create a sustainable future and ensure environmental well-being.

Learn how some of our teams are taking action on energy consumption in their communities here.

The post Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Environmental Impact appeared first on Ecocar 3.

via Tumblr http://markgreeley576.tumblr.com/post/131742763707

What’s On My Desk? Jesse Alley Shares

Jesse Alley is the Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition (AVTC) Lead Engineer and Vehicle Systems Engineer at Argonne National Laboratory. Originally from Kingsport, TN and he has a Bachelor and Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech, graduating in 2010 and 2012 respectively. While at Virginia Tech, he participated in EcoCAR: the NeXt Challenge and was the team leader for the first year of EcoCAR 2. Day-to-day, Jesse manages the structural waiver process, the energy storage system design process, and the safety and technical inspection process. In this second edition of our blog series, “What’s On My Desk,” Jesse shares unique objects in his office and the story behind them.

1. The J. Fred Johnson Stadium brick is from the press box of my high school football stadium at Dobyns-Bennett High School where I spent 4 years playing football. My senior year I was voted MVP and ranked all-state. That year I led the team in tackles and had 8 Hammer Awards. The Hammer Award was given to the person from each game who had the hardest hit. This memento brings back fond memories from high school. The J. Fred Johnson brick is a landmark of Kingsport and relic of home.

2. This is a photo of my grandfather and me. All 8 grandchildren have the same photo on pop’s shoulders. I am very blessed to grow up with a loving family in the same community. This photo is a reminder of home and represents my childhood, family, and love. Family has always been very important to me.

 

3. John’s Island, Angel Oak: This is a famous tree located in John’s Island, South Carolina – one of the Sea Islands outside of Charleston. I’ve been down to this area more than a dozen times since high school on missions trips with a few different churches and faith organizations. Each trip lasted about a week and was focused on home repair. I love the low country and the people of the Sea Islands. This was the first place I discovered a love for mission work and service.

 

4. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere – about 60% of the country’s population lives in poverty, consuming less than $2 per day. And that was before the devastating in earthquake in January of 2010. In May of 2011, I was part of a Virginia Baptist Mission Board student group that spent a week in the still-devastated city of Port-au-Prince building a home and working on the construction of a new orphanage. I witnessed heart-wrenching abject poverty but also joy and hope in the Haitian believers we worked with. This juxtaposition was such a powerful testament to the saving power of Christ.

5. My philosophy is that you should always base your work on sound fundamentals. Hence, the textbooks used for monitor stands. The Mac keyboard is a carryover from my days in Grad school. Virginia Tech has a CAD lab in the ME building that is equipped with Apple computers (and keyboards). Each computer had two huge monitors and any piece of software I’d ever need, so I spent an enormous amount of time in that lab doing school work. In the process, I developed a fondness for the keyboards – the key was the low travel of the keys, which made typing easier and faster. One of the first things that I bought for my office at Argonne was this keyboard. The keyboard worked well for me and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Fun facts about the keyboard: the ALT and Windows buttons are switched, the print screen button is labeled as “fn” and the “clear” button on the keypad is actually Numlock.

6. I have quite a few toys, gadgets, puzzles and trinkets. Deep down, I’m really just a big goofy kid who likes toys. The things on my shelf are little knickknacks and puzzles that I’ve accumulated over the years. Most of them were stocking stuffers from my mom, I think. I keep them around to remind myself not to take things too seriously.

The post What’s On My Desk? Jesse Alley Shares appeared first on Ecocar 3.

via Tumblr http://markgreeley576.tumblr.com/post/131303395137

What’s On My Desk? Jesse Alley shares

Jesse Alley is the Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition (AVTC) Lead Engineer and Vehicle Systems Engineer at Argonne National Laboratory. Originally from Kingsport, TN and he has a Bachelor and Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech, graduating in 2010 and 2012 respectively. While at Virginia Tech, he participated in EcoCAR: the NeXt Challenge and was the team leader for the first year of EcoCAR 2. Day-to-day, Jesse manages the structural waiver process, the energy storage system design process, and the safety and technical inspection process. In this second edition of our blog series, “What’s On My Desk,” Jesse shares unique objects in his office and the story behind them.

1. The J. Fred Johnson Stadium brick is from the press box of my high school football stadium at Dobyns-Bennett High School where I spent 4 years playing football. My senior year I was voted MVP and ranked all-state. That year I led the team in tackles and had 8 Hammer Awards. The Hammer Award was given to the person from each game who had the hardest hit. This memento brings back fond memories from high school. The J. Fred Johnson brick is a landmark of Kingsport and relic of home.

2. This is a photo of my grandfather and me. All 8 grandchildren have the same photo on pop’s shoulders. I am very blessed to grow up with a loving family in the same community. This photo is a reminder of home and represents my childhood, family, and love. Family has always been very important to me.

 

3. John’s Island, Angel Oak: This is a famous tree located in John’s Island, South Carolina – one of the Sea Islands outside of Charleston. I’ve been down to this area more than a dozen times since high school on missions trips with a few different churches and faith organizations. Each trip lasted about a week and was focused on home repair. I love the low country and the people of the Sea Islands. This was the first place I discovered a love for mission work and service.

 

4. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere – about 60% of the country’s population lives in poverty, consuming less than $2 per day. And that was before the devastating in earthquake in January of 2010. In May of 2011, I was part of a Virginia Baptist Mission Board student group that spent a week in the still-devastated city of Port-au-Prince building a home and working on the construction of a new orphanage. I witnessed heart-wrenching abject poverty but also joy and hope in the Haitian believers we worked with. This juxtaposition was such a powerful testament to the saving power of Christ.

5. My philosophy is that you should always base your work on sound fundamentals. Hence, the textbooks used for monitor stands. The Mac keyboard is a carryover from my days in Grad school. Virginia Tech has a CAD lab in the ME building that is equipped with Apple computers (and keyboards). Each computer had two huge monitors and any piece of software I’d ever need, so I spent an enormous amount of time in that lab doing school work. In the process, I developed a fondness for the keyboards – the key was the low travel of the keys, which made typing easier and faster. One of the first things that I bought for my office at Argonne was this keyboard. The keyboard worked well for me and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Fun facts about the keyboard: the ALT and Windows buttons are switched, the print screen button is labeled as “fn” and the “clear” button on the keypad is actually Numlock.

6. I have quite a few toys, gadgets, puzzles and trinkets. Deep down, I’m really just a big goofy kid who likes toys. The things on my shelf are little knickknacks and puzzles that I’ve accumulated over the years. Most of them were stocking stuffers from my mom, I think. I keep them around to remind myself not to take things too seriously.

The post What’s On My Desk? Jesse Alley shares appeared first on Ecocar 3.

via Tumblr http://markgreeley576.tumblr.com/post/131302521552

What’s On My Desk- Jesse Alley

The post What’s On My Desk- Jesse Alley appeared first on Ecocar 3.

via Tumblr http://markgreeley576.tumblr.com/post/131282415267