By CHRISTA BUGEE
The pinewood derby track, setup just east of the ELWC garden court Wednesday afternoon, wasn't for Cub Scouts, but for engineering week.
The pinewood derby contest was divided up into three different contests: a classic, an open and a best looking competition. The youngest participants were Kyle Merkley, 10, and Daniel Merkley, 8. 'We didn't have a pinewood derby for scouts this year, so we came to this one,' Kyle said.
The rules for the classic division were: the contestants had to use a standard kit and the car could weigh no more than 5 ounces. The dimensions could not exceed 7.75 inches in length, 3 inches in width and 4 inches in height.
The underside of the car had to be able to clear the .25 inch center strip on the track and at least two of the wheels had to straddle the 1.37 to 1.75 inch wide center strip. The classic competition had 18 participants. The first, second and third place participants got $25, $15 and $10 respectively.
Bryant Slater, a junior from Idaho Falls, Idaho, majoring in computer science raced his roommate, David Gerlach's car. Gerlach got third place for his car's performance.
'It was fun,' Slater said. 'It feels like being a kid again.'
Hugo DeCampos, a junior from South Bend, Ind., majoring in mechanical engineering, felt coming in second place in the classic division was his good act of charity.
Clint Nichols, a junior from Nampa, Idaho, majoring in mechanical engineering, won both the classic and open divisions of the contest. 'You have to use the materials in the kit for the classic competition, so I used wood and lead, lots of lead,' Nichols said. Nichols received $40 for winning two of the divisions.
The open division had no weight restrictions, but no rocket motors or carbon dioxide cartridges could be used. All the designs had to be approved by Thomas Weaver, the engineering technology joint council president. The prize for first place was $15.
'My car was the heaviest, but it didn't make a difference, because I still got second,' said John Parise, senior from Mission Viejo, Calif., majoring in mechanical engineering. Parise's car weighed a little over a pound.
'The pinewood derby was always fun when I was in Cub Scouts,' said Andrew Woodings, a junior from Tri-Cities, Wash., majoring in mechanical engineering. 'It's good engineering practice,' he said. Woodings got third place in the open division.
'My car has suspension in case it hits any bumps,' Nichols said. 'The most important thing are the axles. They have to be smooth and polished.'
The final contest was for best-looking car. The prize for the winner was $10.
Jon Johnston, a junior from Tempe, Ariz., majoring in mechanical engineering, got first place and the $10. Johnston's car took him four days to build. 'Every spare minute I had I was buffing, painting and polishing my car,' he said.
Troy Hellwig, a freshman from Springfield, Ohio, majoring in mechanical engineering came in second place for best looking car. 'It took me about five hours max to build my car. Painting took me the longest,' Hellwig said. 'It's a shame that the second place doesn't have any monetary value.'