A group of 15 University engineering students who have been working since October to modify an automobile for efficient methanol fuel operation will see how they fared next month when they enter their car in the General Motors' Methanol Marathon.

The students, members of the Penn State chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers, will compete against representatives from 15 other universities in the United States and Canada in a five-day 1,100 mile road rally. The marathon begins April 29 in Warren, Mich., site of the GM Technical Center, and finishes at the University of Maryland.

The first place team will receive $6,000 May 4 at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Peter Sheedy (senior-mechanical engineering), president of Penn State's SAE chapter said the purpose of the marathon is to research the use of methanol as an alternate fuel source.

"Methanol is being heavily considered as an alternate fuel," Sheedy said. GM has provided each team with a 1988 Chevrolet Corsica, which they must convert to run on methanol, said Thomas A. Litzinger, assistant professor in Mechanical Engineering.

"They're going to learn how to make the engine run on methanol," he said. "They're going to change the compression ratio by changing the pistons. That's the major change they're making."

Frank Ament, a member of the GM Advanced Engineering staff, explained the importance of the marathon and of methanol as an alternate fuel source.

"It's important nationally for the future. It's important that we do find alternatives," he said. "We have lots of engineers working on this problem worldwide. This is a way to tap young, creative minds."

The competition is a valuable experience for students in the automotive field, Ament said. "It gives them a chance to use some of the real world equipment. It broadens their experience," he said. "It gives them a feel for what's going on in the industry and what's going on in the world."

Bill Riggs, a graduate in mechanical engineering and a member of the SAE team, defined the compression ratio as "the degree to which the fuel and the air mixture is compressed." Methanol inherently burns cleaner than gasoline and would meet the U.S. emission laws, he said.

"They have to change the compounds of the fuel system but also they have to interact with the computer which controls the fuel injection," Litzinger said. "The challenge is going to be learning how to use the hardware. It's a matter of time, trial, and error."

Sheedy elaborated on the problems the team must face and the degree of competition from the other schools.

He said, "Some schools like Michigan and Maryland have really dedicated auto research in their schools. They have much better facilities and much more support for projects. We have to fight through things they normally don't have to. I think they're going to be the two big competitors."

"Projects like this will bring more support for SAE. We still have a hard time getting funding for projects," he said.

"We get no money from the University through the HUB because the SAE constitution limits membership to engineering and technical majors," Riggs said.

Litzinger said the students are solely responsible for soliciting funds for their projects. He described the team atmosphere as "excited."

"They have been working very hard and surmounting lots of obstacles," he said. "I'm sure we'll have a car that will get us through the race."

Litzinger and Riggs attributed the team's initial involvement to Sheedy.

"He's the driving force behind them in terms of pulling the group together," Litzinger said.

"When you're doing a project like this you have to forfeit such things as vacations and weekends. You lose a lot of personal time," Sheedy said. "Every time you hit an obstacle, people get discouraged. You've got to keep pushing. This is something you have to get done for the school's reputation."