15 February, 2013 Dear Undergraduate Engineering
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO CO: Electrical and Computer Engineering BLUE SKY SOLAR RACING 10 King’s College Rd. Rm. 540 Toronto, ON, M5G 3G4 T 416-978-2820 F 416-971-2291 http://blueskysolar.utoronto.ca 15 February, 2013 Dear Undergraduate Engineering Students, Blue Sky Solar Racing is one of the largest student run design projects on campus and we need your support to continue our strive for advancing sustainable transportation technology. Our goal is to design, build, test and race solar powered vehicles for the World Solar Challenge representing University of Toronto engineers. Since the team's humble beginning in 1997, the team has produced six solar cars with another one to be completed in June 2013. Building a competitive solar vehicle is a tremendously difficult task that requires extreme passion and dedication from the team members. Past Achievements: 1997 Blue Sky Project Sunrayce’97 1999 Blue II Sunrayce’99: “Top Rookie Team” 2001 Faust American Solar Challenge 2001: 14th overall World Solar Challenge 2001: 12th overall 2003 Faust II American Solar Challenge 2003: 11th overall, Safety Award 2007 Cerulean World Solar Challenge 2007: 11th overall, 5th in Adventure Class 2011 Azure World Solar Challenge 2011: 24th overall We welcome all undergraduate students to take part in this exciting project. Currently we have over 100 active members spanning all engineering disciplines. In September 2012, we launched the SolarCar 101 program where we host weekly seminars to introduce how the solar car is designed covering various topics from race strategy and aerodynamics to PR and sponsorship. These sessions allow the new members to learn more about our multidisciplinary project on an interactive and informative platform. In an effort to enhance students’ learning experience in classroom, the team consistently participates as clients for first year ESP course. The team trains students using industry standard tools and practices such as CATIA V6, ANSYS and composite layup equipment, some of which are not even available at regular Engineering curriculum. Team members are required to have a working knowledge in aerodynamics, photovoltaic technology to complement their mechanical and industrial engineering knowledge learned in class. Veteran team members and team alumni train newcomers by passing down their personal experience and knowledge. Nurturing innovation and best engineering practices constitute the core of Blue Sky Solar Racing. Students who have participated in the project often go on to become top engineers, entrepreneurs, and leaders in their fields. The recent Kickstarter project NanoLight, the most energy efficient lightbulb, is one of the many innovations developed by Blue Sky alumni. In a matter of a few months, we will present UofT engineers at the World Solar Challenge and we hope to continue our participation in international solar races in 2014 and 2015. The financial support from the levy will significantly improve our performance at the race. When not racing in the Australian Outback or the Southern US, we also participate in numerous public outreach events. The sight of solar car awakens imagination and inspires students from every field of study to pursue the advancement of sustainable technology. In 2012 alone, we participated in 20 outreach events ranging from high school shop tours to large scale industry conferences to transportation expositions. With your support, we can continue and expand the success of Blue Sky Solar Racing. We will continue to act as ambassadors for UofT engineering students and show the world our passion for sustainable technology. Sincerely yours, Paul Park Tiffany Hu Managing Director Advancement Officer [email protected] [email protected] c (647)261-7899 c (416)455-5003 Page 2.