Machining wheel hubs out of solid titanium and welding sub-frames is all in a day's work for Dan Reist.
"It's not your typical day," Reist (senior-mechanical engineering) said. "There is just always so much to do."
Reist, the technical director for Penn State's Formula SAE racing team, is one of 18 students who balance their long hours at the library with hands-on experience somewhere few students will venture: The Learning Factory in the Engineering Services Building.
"It's about applying what you learn in class from a practical standpoint," team member Derek Bailey (senior-mechanical engineering) said.
Formula SAE is a student design competition organized by SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) International. More than 120 teams worldwide spend each year designing, fabricating and competing with an open-wheeled, formula-style racecar.
The concept behind Formula SAE is a fictional manufacturing company organized by SAE International has contracted a design team to develop a small Formula-style racecar to be evaluated for potential production.
"The whole organization is so effective for students because it gives us a chance to put to use the skills we learn in the classroom in a real atmosphere," team member Andrew Peterson (senior-mechanical engineering) said.
The Penn State Formula SAE team has experienced significant success in the past few years as one of the top programs in the country. In 2006, the team placed second out of 120 international teams. The team placed 17th in 2007 and 2008, and this year the team will once again vie for the top spot.
"We have a strong showing this year," Peterson said. "This is the best team we've had in a while."
The main competition the team gears up for annually is held in May at Michigan International Speedway. The judging criteria centers on such items as the design of the car, dynamic racing competitions, cost deficiency and the business model. For the 2009 competition, however, a higher emphasis has been placed on fuel efficiency.
"The [automobile] industry as a whole is working on improving fuel economy, and [SAE] wants engineers who will work to adapt to those changes," Reist said.
Though technically based for the engineering-savvy, Formula SAE is a multi-faceted group encompassing all aspects of the automotive industry, including the research, design, manufacturing, testing, developing, marketing, management and finances from which students from a variety of majors can gain valuable experience, according to SAE International's Web site.
"There is a misconception that these projects are just for engineers and the business portion gets overlooked," Reist said. "Most of the top schools have students in marketing and other areas working on the business side of the project, and that is definitely an area we can improve in by interesting new members."
A new member meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Sept. 7 in 135 Reber Building.
