Chem-E-Car Team Qualifies for Nationals

Chemical Engineering

From left, Hemanta Timsina, Tammy Lutz-Rechtin, Jimmy Do, Ryan Robinson, Lauren Shepard, Henry McCain, Brooke Shaffer and Karen Beitle.

The Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering AIChE Chem-E-Car Team is headed to nationals.

Jimmy Do, Ryan Robinson, Lauren Shepard, Brooke Schaffer, Kyle Key, Henry McCain, Grace Lucas and their hydrogen-fueled car will head to Boston in November to compete at the 2021 Annual Student Conference Chem-E-Car Competition.

The U of A team placed third in the regional Chem-E-Car AIChE Competition, qualifying them for a spot in the national competition.

The Chem-E-Car Competition is an AIChE initiative where students design and construct a car fueled by a chemical energy source that can safely carry a specified load over a certain distance and stop. The program increases awareness of the chemical engineering profession while giving students hands-on experience.

"Chem-E-Car gives students an open-ended type of problem to be solved in a team environment," said Tammy Lutz-Rechtin, team co-instructor and safety coordinator for the chemical engineering department. "Students are encouraged to be creative and work as a team independently. For most students, this is their first real experience using process safety and applying their classroom knowledge. They design their car with engineering-based methodology, calculations and documentation. Students do the electrical work, mechanical aspects, control the chemical reactions and make it all fit in a large shoebox on a limited budget. Most of all, they have a blast doing it."

This is the first time the team has competed using a hydrogen-fueled car and the first time they have qualified for nationals.

"Chem-E-Car has made the biggest impact on my college experience. Participating in Chem-E-Car truly enhanced my problem-solving abilities and creativity unlike any other course I have taken," Lucas said. "It also gave me the opportunity to meet various faculty members and fellow peers that I normally wouldn't have met. Chem-E-Car is definitely a highlight of my college career, and I am so thankful for the chemical engineering faculty for their support."

At nationals, the students will compete against more than 30 other Chem-E-Car teams from across the U.S.

"We have high hopes for our Chem-E-Car team as they move to the national competition," said Dr. Keisha B. Walters, chemical engineering department head. "They have developed and implemented a number of improvements to their design. Regardless of how the team places in competition, the students have gained valuable technical, teamwork and problem-solving skills that will support them moving forward in their careers."

The 2021 Annual Student Conference Chem-E-Car Competition is Nov. 7.

Find more information about the competition.

For more information about the Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, please visit chemical-engineering.uark.edu.