News of SOLAR SPLASH® 2009
Volume 17 - Number 3 - March 2009
Event Sponsors: ASME & IEEE/PELS with Johnson Controls Inc. as Prime Sponsor
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If you are planning to enter in 2009, drop us a note now (hq@solarsplash.com) so we can get the ‘contacts’ between us in place – and to get your team listed/linked on the website as preparing a boat for the 2009 Splash!
For “Unregistered” Teams: Time to Get the Entry Form Submitted
*** ENTRY DEADLINE is Monday, April 27th! ***
The cut-off date for entries is Monday, April 27th. It should be noted and realized that getting the Entry Form in by April 27th is what allows a team to enter Solar Splash 2009 – 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 28th and posted on the website as soon as possible!
2009 Rules Are Posted on the Website
We won’t be sending out the “hardcopy” 2009 Rule Booklets and the flag-stand posts until sometime in early May, after the entry deadline. Until then, use the 2009 rules as posted on the website. Everything continues to go smoothly, so we did not have any rule changes of significance to constructing your boats.
However, there have been “Event Changes”, in response to suggestions from last year’s 2008 Splash General Meeting, which are briefly outlined below. Also, from now on, (see the Change to Technical Report Submission Procedure topic below) only a single PDF copy of the Technical Report is to be submitted – and the submission is to be by email!
Event Changes for 2009:
#1 Change – all boats will be assured of at least three Sprint heats in which to generate their ‘best’ two times for point calculations. (See Rule 8.11)
#2 Change – the Slalom event has been re-configured to be more like a ‘true slalom’, with an out-and-back zig-zag around 3 buoys 50m apart, as shown below. (See Rule 8.3.2)
Change to Technical Report Submission Procedure (Rule Change)
“8.12 Technical Report - A technical report is required. A PDF copy must be received by headquarters by 5 p.m. EDT on April 27, 2009. 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. Reports will be made available for participants of future SOLAR SPLASH Events.”
*** The PDF copy of the Technical Report is to be emailed to headquarters at the email address:
HQ@solarsplash.com.
The PDF file name should be: “2009TechReport-(your school name)”.
As a reminder, there are three “Required Appendices” to the Technical Report:
- Battery info (manuf data, spec info, & MSDS sheets – see Rule 7.12.21)
- Flotation Calculations ( ..even when full of water.. Rule 7.16.2)
- 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”. Included in the 8 pages are specific suggestions for format and section inclusions, do’s-and-don’ts, and the evaluation criteria for grading the reports.
Technical Reports Still for Sale
We continue to have reprints of the 2008 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:
Solar Splash Headquarters
c/o Dr. Jeffrey Morehouse
Mechanical Engineering Department
300 Main Street
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208
As always, Headquarter activities continue to be available for answering your questions, keeping the webpage 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 this year!
The Webmaster is David Luneau and his address is:
webmaster@solarsplash.com