After qualifying in last spring’s regional competition, members of the Gengar Gang ChemE Car team are part of a large student contingent which will represent Iowa State chemical and biological engineering (CBE) in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) national student conference in San Francisco. Donations through a FundISU page are being sought to help with this chance to showcase the university’s chemical engineering education.
The ChemE Car team, composed of CBE undergraduates, and their hydrogen cell-powered car, will be competing among the best teams from colleges and universities in America and other countries November 11-14. As with any good racing team, improvements and maintenance must be performed on the car. Donations will help cover the costs of that work, in addition to student costs involved with the trip.
The car is powered by the oxidation of aluminum using aqueous sodium hydroxide, which produces hydrogen gas. The stopping mechanism utilizes a well-calibrated iodine clock reaction which, when completed, obstructs light from reaching a photoresistor.
Gabi Ampuero, Brian Gates, Jacqui Galang, Conner Graves, Carolyn Jennrich and Austin Weiser will make the trip with the ChemE Car, but will be joined by other Iowa State students taking part in the conference. Pratish Adhikari, Catherine LeDenmat, Josh Potvin, Jamie Pryhuber and Ivy Wu will be presenting research, while ISU AIChE student chapter president Gavin Hellmich, vice president Vince Anderson, treasurer Martin Asama and regional liaisons Seth Baetzold and Nick Brown will participate in leadership training. Asama will also receive the 2015-16 Freshman Recognition Award for his involvement and leadership in the ISU student chapter as a freshman in the 2015-16 academic year.
Any funds above what is required by the ChemE Car team will be applied toward the other ISU students attending the conference. A wide variety of giving levels are available on the FundISU page. A video highlighting the ChemE Car team and its participation in the conference is also included on the page. The donation period will end November 3.