Greetings from SunStang!

Hi, my name is Ryan Lien and I'm in my third year of Electrical Engineering. I am also one of two project managers for SunStang. 

This new semester has been a good start for SunStang. Most of our team has already completed intermediate level shop training, and we have already had two meetings. Our meeting this past Monday was held at the Spoke and although it wasn't formal or technical, it was a good chance to get to know the people on the team. It also allowed me to answer any questions they had regarding the car, their role in helping build it, and the future of SunStang. 

Although this is an entirely new team, we won't be starting from scratch. We have a chassis from the 2007 car (which is currently serving us as a tool rack), a bunch of CAD files, solar panels and some other things here and there. The plan right now is to quickly throw together a testing car from the 2007 chassis while modifying our CAD designs and sending them out to companies so they can create a mould of our car. There is a lot more to do after that is finished, but it's our main goal for now. 

Anyway, I'm starting to run out of things to write. Bye. 

UES delegates at the CFES Congress 2012

The delegates from the Undergraduate Engineering Society have returned from their venture North of 60 for the CFES Congress 2012 held in Whitehorse, Yukon. Congratulations team on a successful trip representing Western Engineering and for winning the bid for CEC 2014 to be held at The University of Western Ontario.

Testing, testing, 1...2...3. ok. go.

 

It terrifies me that people will read this.

Sunstang is back. We are a Western team building a solar car out of scrap and ingenuity, taking it to Australia for a three to six day 3000km race in desert heat, against the best teams in the world (some of which clock over 105 mph) with a proud history of hitting rocks and dead kangaroos, and MacGyvering engines out of belts and frying pans. We have 20 months to put together our car, have it fall apart, build it properly, and get it through customs.

More seriously though, Sunstang is well on its way. Most of the team completed machine shop training last night with Chris Vandelaar, a former Sunstang member who built the 94% efficient motor that we’ll be taking to the race. The basics of the car have been designed, and in the next week we’ll get the Sunstang workshop back.

Thank you to Lesley and all the alumni for the support this team is getting. Without Imran, Tom, Greg, Chris, and all the other alumni, we wouldn’t know which end of a solar car was the front, and without Lesley, no one would let us near a solar car, let alone put one together.

So.

Look out Australia. I’d hide all the rocks and dead kangaroos, and lock up all the frying pans. Make sure your belts are on firmly too. We’re coming.

                David Lundy

 

P.S. I’ll explain the frying pans and kangaroos in the next few posts.

 

Landslide Victory!

Congratulations to Gail Hayhoe and Mike Zawalsky for winning the bid for CEC 2014 for The University of Western Ontario!

Congress Update!

We are now in the final days of Congress 2012. Even though the day is almost done there are still many things ahead of us. Gail Hayhoe and Mike Zawalsky have just presented their bid for the Canadian Engineering Competition and have done a great job! After a quick coffee break, Taylor and I will be heading into our first Plenary Session at the conference while our other delegates do a presentation on what we feel our school does best. After a long day of work we will be going out on the town to do more exploring and hopefully get some interesting souvenirs.

 

Greetings from the North!

It has been an awesome couple days here in Whitehorse. We’ve met many different people from across Canada during sessions and met some of the locals at nightly events. They are lovely, welcoming people who mostly want us to get the best experience in the short time we are here. So far, my most favourite thing about Whitehorse is the mountain range in the background of the city. Being from Toronto, the only skyline I see is full of condos and skyscrapers. Seeing a mountain range is definitely something different and beautiful.

After attending many helpful and interesting sessions throughout the day, I am really excited for tonight’s activities! We will be going to the local hot springs for a bath, followed by a night walk and a northern lights tour. When I was last north of 60th parallel, I did not get to see the northern lights so I hope that they come out tonight!

First Day in the Yukon

A 7:00 am flight meant an early morning for our delegates leaving from Toronto. However the early wakeup is worth it since we get to spend more time in Whitehorse. Flying with a layover in Vancouver, where we picked up Lauren, we arrived in Whitehorse around 3:00 pm. It feels like we have been travelling all day due to the time difference.

The weather here is nice considering how far north we are. The temperature feels about the same as Toronto did during the recent cold snap and is supposed to get better throughout the week. Tonight after a few meetings we will be attending a social event hosted by one of the sponsors.

Getting Ready for CFES Congress

    Hi, my name is Taylor Standring and I am in third year Computer Engineering. I am also the UES VP External for 2011-2012 and I will be leading the delegation to Whitehorse for Canadian Federation of Engineering Students, Congress 2012.

    Congress is an annual week long conference hosted by the CFES that serves the dual purpose of the annual general meeting for the CFES as well as an open forum to discuss issues involving engineering student across Canada. This year from January 4-10 there will be over a hundred engineering students descending on Whitehorse. Due to northern location a lot of time has been spent preparing for the weather. In addition to the business and formal clothing, warm weather wear is very important.

    While we prepare for the cold the Western delegation has been working hard to make sure we represent our school as best as we can. As the conference approaches we look forward to bringing you our story.

Hello WE!

My name is Issi George and I am your UES President this year. I am in my third year of Mechanical Engineering. After a long month of exams, I'm finally home in Toronto for the holidays. I'll only be home for a short while though because in about a week and a half I'll be off to CFES Congress in the Yukon, along with Taylor Standring, Samantha Barnes, Lauren Cuthberson, David Johnson, Mike Zawalsky and Gail Hayhoe. We'll be meeting with other engineering councils from across Canada to learn about councils, their events and how they run them as well as the problems their facultites face academically. I'm really excited to meet new people and experience such a new place. I look forward to writing more!

 

Happy Holidays!

Sunstang

SunStang is an alternative energy vehicle project that consists of over 30 undergraduate students at the University of Western Ontario. Although the team is primarily comprised of engineering students, there are several members from other faculties that are involved. All members share the passion for design and the desire to improve the world. The new team plans to meet in January to discuss the direction for the upcoming year. Check back on the blog as team members Ryan Lien and David Arthur Lundy document their progress.