Early June Date”-- but Same Site for 2010!

As noted in the Solar Splash logo banner above, the dates for Splash ’10 have been “moved backwards” to June 9-13, 2010 for the competition at the very amenable site on Lake Fayetteville. This date was chosen to avoid lake site conflicts with holidays and with large meetings in and around Fayetteville that have “swamped” local hotel reservations on other dates.

 

Are You Preparing for 2010? Let Us Know!

The preparations for Splash 2010 are underway at Splash Headquarters, and we hope that your team is also progressing. Headquarter activities at this point include: securing sponsorships, answering your questions, keeping the webpage updated, and keeping lines of communication open between the University of 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 2010!

If you’re planning to enter in 2010, drop us a note now so we can get the ‘contacts’ between us firmly in place – and to get your team listed/linked on the webpage as preparing a boat for the 2010 Splash!

Splash Headquarters Address and Contact Point is:

Dr. Jeffrey Morehouse
Mechanical Engineering Department
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208
tel: 803-777-3017 fax: 803-777-0106
email: hq@solarsplash.com

 

Solar Splash Handbook: Chapter 1 – Getting Started and Other ‘Big Picture’ Items

A copy of Chapter 1 of the ‘Handbook’ is available under “The Handbook” menu item back on the main website (www.solarsplash.com). This is an article that should be read and re-read by all teams – both rookie and returning.

 

Application and the Entry Fees and Dates

You need to go to the website (www.solarsplash.com) to find the Entry Form for the competition. The fee has not changed, but the entry fee dates are slightly different than last year. The ‘early fee’ is $400 if you get your entry form in by January 18th, but the entry fee increases to $500 if you enter after that date. The cut-off date for entries is April 26th. Again, getting the entry form to Headquarters is critical for meeting the dates, not when the check arrives! [However, sending the entry form in ‘promises’ that you will pay the fee -- and the fee is “non-refundable” after the entry form has been submitted!!]

 

2010 Rules and Rule Booklet

The 2010 Rules are on the website now. We did not make any rule changes of major significance, but we found some areas to increase safety and where we could clean up the wording, to make the meaning as clear as possible.

Although the Rules do appear on the website, the "Official Rules" are in the Rule Booklets we will send you later. Rule Booklets and flag posts will be mailed in early February to all the registered schools.

 

Technical Reports are for Free!

We have e-copies of the 2009 Technical Reports available at no cost! Even if you feel you have your plans in place, the reports represent an invaluable source of format and content from past years. When you start outlining and writing your report, which is scored and points given, good examples may be very valuable.

Send an email request for what schools’ reports you would like to : hq@solarsplash.com

 

For Your Planning -- New Site and Hosts for Next Year

For the fifth year in a row, the University of Arkansas and the City of Fayetteville will be serving as our hosts. However, 2010 will be the Splash’s last year locating in Fayetteville. While we will miss our Fayetteville hosts’ beautiful site, experienced competence, and enthusiasm for the Splash, we believe we have found a really nice new site and hosts!

Starting next year, 2011, our hosts will be the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) and the Cities of Cedar Falls and Waterloo, Iowa. The lake site is Wyth Lake located in the George Wyth State Park, midway between Cedar Falls and Waterloo. The site is in the northeast part of Iowa and is approximately 200 miles west of Chicago -- go GoogleEarth this new site!