News of SOLAR SPLASH® 2008
Volume 16 - Number 3 - March 2008

Sponsored by:
ASME, Johnson Controls Inc., IEEE PELS, and others

Jump to any topic:

 

For “Unregistered” Teams: Time to Get the Entry Form Submitted

ENTRY DEADLINE is Monday, April 28!

The cut-off date for entries is Monday, April 28th. It should be noted and realized that getting the Entry Form in by April 28th is what allows a team to enter Solar Splash 2008 – and the check for the $500 fee does not have to be with the entry form. However, the entry form is considered a ‘contract’ and that assumes a promise to pay the fee as soon as possible.

Note: Boat numbers will be assigned on April 29 and posted on the website as soon as possible!

 

2008 Rules Are Posted on the Website

We won’t be sending out the “hardcopy” 2008 Rule Booklets and the flag-stand posts until sometime in early May, after the entry deadline. Until then, use the 2008 rules as posted on the website. Everything continues to go smoothly, so we did not have any rule changes of significance. However, the “required content” of the Technical Report differs from that of previous years – so address the ‘change’ (see next topic below)!

 

Technical Reports due at Headquarters by 5pm, Monday, May 19

As printed in the Rules:

“8.12 Technical Report - A technical report is required. Five (5) copies must be received by headquarters by 5 p.m. EST on May 19, 2008. The boat number must be displayed on the cover in a minimum 36 pt. type. The names of all students and faculty advisors involved with the project must appear on the cover. These will be judged by a panel of experts, and prizes will be awarded. Reports may be reproduced for participants of future SOLAR SPLASH Events.”

This year there are three (3) “Required Appendices” to the Technical Report instead of two (2):
#1: Battery info (manuf data, specif info, & MSDS sheets – see Rule 7.12.21);
#2: Flotation Calculations ( ..even when full of water.. Rule 7.16.2); and
New #3: Proof of Insurance (Rule 2.8)

Attached to this Newsletter is the 8-page “Guidelines for Writing the Technical Report for the ASME Solar Splash Project” (PDF file). Included in the 8 pages are specific suggestions for format and section inclusions, do’s-and-don’t, and the evaluation criteria for grading the reports. The reports are to be sent to headquarters at the address below:

Solar Splash Headquarters
c/o Dr. Jeffrey Morehouse
Mechanical Engineering Department
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208

 

Technical Reports Still for Sale

We continue to have reprints of the 2007 Technical Reports available for sale. The price for a set of the top 5 technical reports from last year is $35. If you wish any other specific school’s reports, it can be purchased at $8. When you start outlining and writing your report, which is scored and points given, good examples may be very valuable. Send a check (payable to ASME-Solar Splash) for the top five for $35 (or $8 for each other school) to the Headquarters address above.

 

Keeping All of Us Posted

As always, Headquarter activities continue to be available for answering your questions, keeping the website updated, and keeping lines of communication open between Arkansas, Headquarters, and you! So don’t hesitate to contact us by email, phone, or post – and let us know you are there and working to meet and compete in 2008!

The Webmaster is David Luneau and his address is: webmaster@solarsplash.com