Solar Splash

The Geneva Solar Splash team is hoping to overcome better funded opponents with engineering acumen.

Solar Splash, the world championship of intercollegiate solar boating, will take place June 21-25 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Five Geneva seniors will compete against larger, well-financed teams from schools such as the University of South Carolina, Columbia University, and the United States Naval Academy.

Despite the difference in funding and manpower, Geneva’s team has done well in the past and is looking forward to this year’s competition.

Geneva has competed in Solar Splash five times since 2000. The competition consists of 20 to 25 boats that compete in qualifying, enduring, sprint, and slalom races. In the past Geneva has placed anywhere from third to12th.

“Twelfth was the year we blew up lots of stuff,” says David Shaw, a mechanical engineering professor and faculty adviser for the project.

The Solar Splash competition demands that students produce a boat that fits certain size and weight parameters and runs on solar power. The boat operates on batteries that are charged by the sun.

“If it’s not a sunny day, we have to be careful about how we use the batteries and the power,” says Amelia Ward, one of the seniors working on the boat.

The students are working on a completely new design this year, building 1:10 scale models and testing them in a tank.

Students working on the project are senior engineering majors: Aaron Galvin, David Grubb, Amelia Ward, Jennifer Wynick and Edward Wright.

The project is a chance for students to use what they’ve learned while studying mechanical engineering at Geneva, especially their knowledge of fluid mechanics.

The project is demanding, and students such as Ward volunteer as many as 18 hours a week.  

“I really enjoy working on the boat and seeing how everything fits together,” says Ward. Ward is in charge of fundraising for the project. For more information, contact Ward at 724-847-5764.