April 28, 2005
The 2005 Engineering Excellence Award winner is an interdisciplinary team of students who presented the design of a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle. The team, consisted of Electrical Engineering students: Rob Pliml, John Regenauer, Mark Mutton, Lee Walker, and Andrew Massey ; Mechanical Engineering students: Chad Mammen, Zac Maslowski, Patrick Montalto, Magda Nocko, Erik Hansen, and Rick Kozmer; and was sponsored by Argonne National Laboratory.
The team was inspired to research Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles by the need for more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles. The initial project proposal included modeling the control system, vehicle layout, motor operation, and overall efficiency. The team also hoped to construct the test stand and determine testing procedures necessary to determine output and safety characteristics of the vehicle.
In March of 2005, the team determined that their work would focus more specifically on the modeling and testing aspects of the project. As sponsors were added and additional team members recruited, the team hoped to secure the parts necessary to make their design dream a reality.
"This project was very far-reaching," said John McCuistion, current President of the Engineering & Technology Alumni Society, "The team was very focused on finding others within the University willing to carry on where their research left off."