A team of NDSU mechanical engineering students is competing at the 16th annual Clean Snowmobile Challenge at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan. The competition, which began March 2, continues through March 7.
"We're definitely learning how to overcome adversity," said Travis Sims, a senior from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. "We worked all night to swap out three drivetrains, so we've learned all about hard work."
The team members describe the competition as a learning experience, noting they have now used classroom concepts in real-world situations.
"It's really been a hands-on experience," said Trevor Fleischhacker, a junior from Freeport, Minnesota. "We've taken the theoretical material we've learned in class and went out into the shop and applied it."
Other team members include seniors Caleb Meide from Wahpeton, North Dakota; Nathan DuChene from Detroit Lakes; Michael Niehoff from Cold Spring, Minnesota; and Kai Halverson, a freshman from Rosemount, Minnesota.
The team's faculty adviser is Robert Pieri, professor of mechanical engineering, who said he is proud of the students' efforts. "They have done a herculean effort in meeting the adversity that has befallen them," he said.
The competition has attracted student teams from across the northern United States and Canada, as well as a team from Finland. The teams compete in three categories: internal combustion — gasoline; electric, also called zero emissions; and diesel utility.
The seven-member NDSU team has experienced several difficulties as it competes in the contest's diesel division. The NDSU snowmobile lost its drivetrain and damaged the cooling system. The team also reports it had to drop out of the endurance run after 50 miles because the sled overheated.
Senior Jared Quinlan said the team still has high hopes for the overall competition. The noise, handling, emissions and cold start events are still to be held. "We're learning how things happen in the real world," said Quinlan, a senior from Fargo. "But, we're all on the same page and have the same goal. We're just getting to work and expect to do well in the rest of the events."
The competition is sponsored by SAE International, an organization originally established as the Society of Automotive Engineers.
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