EcoCAR 3: Advancing STEM Education, Innovation, Diversity and Outreach through Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions

American Society For Engineering Education, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

The DOE Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition (AVTC) program provides opportunity to thousands of students annually to solve our nation's energy and transportation challenges. The latest AVTC series, EcoCAR 3, tasks 16 universities to re-engineer a Chevrolet Camaro to reduce its environmental impact while maintaining the performance expected from this iconic American car. During the four-year program, EcoCAR 3 teams will follow a real-world Vehicle Development Process that will serve as a roadmap for the engineering process of designing, building and refining their advanced technology vehicles. The unique real-world engineering experience provides student engineers with hands-on research and development with leading-edge automotive propulsion, fuels, materials and emission-control technologies. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors and more than two dozen other government and industry leaders, the competition not only produces top engineering talent, but also accelerates the development and demonstration of innovative, advanced vehicle technologies that help reduce our nation's dependence on foreign oil and enable us to be competitive globally. This NSF grant will support four areas of the EcoCAR 3 competition: the NSF Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award, the NSF Diversity in Engineering Awards, the NSF Innovation Initiative grants and awards, and on-site competition expenses. The NSF Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award recognizes outstanding EcoCAR Faculty Advisors who have successfully integrated EcoCAR goals, objectives and activities into the engineering curriculum and fostered a successful automotive engineering design process into their university engineering programs. The NSF Diversity in Engineering Awards recognize teams who develop successful recruiting initiatives directed toward women and underrepresented minorities, demonstrate a culture of inclusion, and/or establish a positive network that will, in turn, attract a diverse group of team members. The NSF Innovation Initiative grants and awards will enable and recognize achievement in innovative research and development activities in emerging areas such as energy efficiency, vehicle performance, consumer acceptability or emissions. Support for the competition expenses will help to enable the annual face-to-face EcoCAR 3 competition that provides the opportunity for the public demonstration and evaluation of the student-designed advanced technology vehicles at the conclusion of each of the three academic years of the EcoCAR 3 program.