We huddled in a tight circle by the finish line, frantically waiting for radio updates on the progress of our team’s rider, Rob “Bullet” Barber, who was miles in the distance and closing fast. Our 11-person team of student engineers and support crew from The Ohio State University could hardly breathe as we got the report: Barber was battling for third place—a podium finish—in the TT Zero class for electric racing motorcycles at the 2014 Isle of Man TT. Barber was aboard our latest race bike, the RW-2.X, designed and built by the OSU College of Engineering team, known as Buckeye Current. We’d brought it over 3600 mi (5700 km) to the Isle of Man, the iconic road-racing mecca in the middle of the Irish Sea. We aimed to prove our engineering and technology against the best electric bikes on the fast and treacherous public road—37.75-mi (60.75 km) per lap—that is the world’s most unforgiving race circuit. Finally came a rider, tucked in tight behind the fairing.
Reducing U.S. vehicle emissions will require policies that support a variety of alternatives to fossil fuel-burning, non-hybrid vehicles. ‘Perfect’ should not be the enemy of ‘good.’
Stephen Foster, CEO and Co-Founder of ThoughtSTEM, has a new outlook on STEM education and the utilities that can be used to get kids involved in software coding.
Rookie Formula SAE Michigan participant Matt Kramer designed a mechanically automated clutch that won Altair Engineering's first place award for most innovative design at the 2014 competition.