Dartmouth Engineer

Photograph by Douglas Fraser.

The halls of Thayer turned into a twist car racecourse for a final class exercise in ENGS 146: “Computer-Aided Mechanical Engineering Design.” Propelled by rotating a steering mechanism from side to side, the cars tested students’ design and fabrication skills. With one month from concept to race day, students mocked up wood prototypes, designed digital prototypes using SolidWorks software, fabricated their cars in the machine shop, and then wiggled their way around Thayer to see whose car worked best.

The project is about “teamwork, project management, mechanical design, technical communication, and the challenges of reducing theory to practice,” says Professor Solomon Diamond ’97 Th’98. “Culminating in a fun, competitive, and silly race makes it an engaging and memorable experience.”