CEAS Showcases Special Projects at First WMU Day

CEAS students, faculty, and administrators were among the roughly 800 who participated in the first WMU Day held in Lansing on the lawn of Michigan’s Capitol. All WMU colleges showcased projects on the lawn of Michigan’s Capitol in Lansing. Among the CEAS displays were a concrete canoe, a life-sized robot, a solar car, a Formula race car, a hydraulic bike and chair research.

 

Dr. Tarun Gupta, a professor in the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (IME), and a team brought RoboBronco, a six-foot tall robot with a friendly horse face. Gupta mentored a robotic team of area high school students who call themselves the Quantum Ninjas, in the FIRST competition.

WMU’s Sunseeker solar car team, with advisors Abraham Poot and John Kapenga, brought its 2005 entry for up-close examination. The team is preparing its current entry for next month’s 2008 North American Solar Challenge (NASC), a biennial, cross-country, international, intercollegiate 2,400-mile race from Dallas, Texas, to Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Sunseeker is designed and built by students from all academic disciplines.

The Bronco entourage was welcomed by several area legislators, including Rep. Lorence Wenke, who praised the WMU supporters for what he described as a unique and “impressive” presentation.