THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2011
WWW.KANSAN.COM
VOLUME 123 ISSUE 139
MOTORSPORTS
Team unveils homemade cars
roommen@kansan.com
BY ROSHNI OOMMEN
It took the entire school year, countless hours and many sleepless nights, but any member of the Jayhawk Motorsports team will say that working on this year's Formula SAE and hybrid cars was absolutely worth it.
Every year, the team designs,
builds, tests and races a vehicle. The
group members unveiled the cars Saturday at the Barrel House, 729 New Hampshire St., showing their friends and families what they created this year. Abby Rimel, a senior from Aurora, Colo., said that for the first time this year, two cars were made, one of which being a hybrid car. Cameron Bryant, a sophomore from Baldwin City, said the team was unique because of the opportunity it offered students on campus.
"There's no other project on campus where you get to design every part of it, build it, and then race it and compete against other schools," Bryant said.
Rimel, the group's team leader, said the cars would be raced in May and June at collegiate design competitions, where the University of Kansas will compete against more than 140 teams from around the world. She said the cars each cost
around $40,000 in order to be well suited for competition.
In the past, Rimel said, the Jayhawk Motorsports team has had a strong reputation for doing well in racing competitions. In 2009, the formula car placed third in a national competition in California.
And this year is no different. The group's good reputation means that it has a lot to live up to, and a lot to work toward. Bryant said he
started volunteering for the Jayhawk Motorsports team in high school student. Bryant said he hoped the group would be able to participate in competitions abroad in the near future including prestigious competitions in Germany.
"I won't be happy until we go to Germany." Bryant said. "It's just something we've never done."
Steven Heger, a senior from Maize, said he estimated that he
spent about 60 hours each week working on the car during the school year. Heger, who was the team's manufacturing leader, said that in the last week, group members spent more than 12 hours each day working on finishing up the cars.
"It is worth it," Heger said. "we get to build race cars."
Two cars were designed, one of them being a hybrid. Both cars will be raced in May and June at collegiate design competitions.
Edited by Samantha Collins
Hawk Motorsports team presents its creations to their friends and families Saturday at the Barrel House, 729 New Hampshire St. Travis Young
CAMPUS
Engineering's locked door policy in question
Travis Young/KANS Two students stole a fire extinguisher and discharged an emergency shower April 9 causing concern for the School of Engineering's building policy of keeping the building unlocked at all times.
BY ALEX GARRISON agarrison@kansan.com
Travis Young/KANSAN
KU Public Safety officers assessed the damage at $45. But could it have been much more?
After an incident of vandalism late at night in Learned Hall earlier this month, some students are questioning the School of Engineering's policy of keeping the building unlocked at all times, saying it could result in students losing hours of work and thousands of dollars of equipment.
The school says it hasn't received complaints from students or faculty, and that the individual keypad system on labs with dangerous materials or especially expensive equipment is enough precaution.
During the incident in question, two 20-year-old students stole a fire extinguisher and discharged an emergency shower across the hall from a locked lab in the early hours of April 9, according to police reports. The students were arrested, clearing the case, but the aerospace engineering students whose semester-long project sat near the shower remain concerned.
Jacob Lynn, a senior from Houston, drafted a letter to The Kansan raising the issue of nonengineering students walking through the building, sometimes at odd hours — and sometimes, to vandalize their work.
"It's a problem," he said. "Because the only reason our work wasn't ruined is that there was someone to turn off the shower. If there hadn't been, who knows what could have happened."
The shower stands outside the lab and is there to protect from chemical exposure. Once it starts flowing, water gushes out at about 50 gallons per minute — enough
force and volume to flood and damage equipment.
And it's been discharged by an outsider before, during last year's Engineering Expo, said Glen Marotz, associate dean in the school. But he says that's why the school spent thousands of dollars to install a drain underneath it.
said administrators have discussed switching from the 24/7 open policy to keycard-access at night. But the costs of re-keying the doors would be in the thousands of dollars and faculty have decided that taking that step isn't necessary at the present.
Jill Hummels, the director of public relations for the school,
keycard access upon its completion in May 2012.
The newest building in the engineering complex, which also includes Eaton Hall, will have
In the meantime, Marotz stressed reporting any suspicious activity to the Public Safety Office — and to him.
"If there's an issue, students just need to raise it," he said.
Edited by Emily Soetaert
INDEX
Classifieds. 7A
Crossword. 4A
Cryptoquips. 4A
Opinion. 5A
Sports. 12A
Sudoku. 4A
WEATHER
TODAY 60 46 Thunderstorms
orecasts by KU students. For a complete detailed forecast for the week, see page 2A
ATHLETICS | 7A
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2011 The University Daily Kenan
Former student talks sports
Brian Frederick empowers and educates sports fans on a national level.
BASEBALL | 12A
Baseball avoids sweep
油
A strong outing by the Jayhawk pitching staff holds Texas to two runs, and Jayhawks leave with 4-2 victory.
LAWRENCE
X
Busker Fest attracts new forms of entertainment
Buskers, or street performers, have brought a flavor to the downtown area and it's catching on in a big way. But don't confuse buskers with panhandlers. The difference between the two is that buskers work to provide a service: entertainment.
BY MARIT EHMKE editor@kansan.com
Robert Knapp, who works at Third Planet on Ninth and Massachusetts streets, says Lawrence is a good place to busk because it is an eclectic community accepting of the arts.
"You can't swing a dead cat without hitting an artist in this town," Knapp said.
For many, a nice, sunny day means going downtown for a stroll. For Tyler Gregory and his guitar, Sonny Sparks and his bass, John Tuttle and his homemade drum set, Bill Wachspress and his balloons or Tim Dingus and his flaming torches, it's the perfect day to busk.
Downtown Lawrence has always been a hip place, but Massachusetts Street is attracting a new crowd aside from the everyday shoppers, joggers and dog-walkers.
This acceptance has opened up the city to new opportunities such as Busker Fest. The celebration, which originated in 2008, has put Lawrence on the map as a place to find quality busking by showcasing professional acts, both local and international, as well as providing a performance platform for anyone with a talent to share.
This year, Busker Fest will serve as a benefit for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Douglas County — if it happens. Money is tight because major donations have come from state-sponsored organizations, such as the Kansas Arts
SEE BUSKING ON PAGE 3A
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