Building a race car could be the first big step for engineering and scientific minds. A formula one car is the result of many specific disciplines and students are being encouraged to get their hands dirty by building and designing their own race car as a starting point of science. The creation of such a car involves, Chemistry, psychics, material science, mathematics, aerodynamics, computer science and much more in terms of complex discipline. In order for the car to be a success all aspects have to be perfect for ideal vehicle function.
At least this is the thinking behind Formula Student, the most established education engineering competition for the next generation of world class engineers. The competition challenges university students from across the glove to create their own single seat racing car before putting it to the test at the famous Silverstone Circuit.
The project is educational at the core and offers students the chance to set and achieve their own goals in their own way. The student/the team is the problem solver and owner and must behave in a manner that weighs up every scientific decision, every potential risk and every potential gain. The project takes students from a school environment to a real working-world environment where they must use their skills and develop their knowledge to uncover challenges they face by exploring the fine details of engineering. Coming first does not necessarily mean you win the competition, cars go through several days of competition to evaluate: cost, design, efficiency, endurance, acceleration, presentation of design and manufacturing and speed.
The event provides an ideal opportunity for students to test, demonstrate and improve their capabilities to deliver a complex and integrated product in the demanding environment of motorsport competition. It is a challenge that fascinates engineering students from all over the world with last yearâs winners coming from Germany and more specifically: The University of Stuttgart, who are one of the leading technically orientated universities in the country with impacting global significance.
The competition forms part of a degree-level project and is viewed by the motorsport industry as the standard studentsâ need to meet to integrate from university to workplace. Formula Student works as a kite-mark for a real-world engineering experience that allows students to get their hands and their minds busy at work. Competitions such as this offer a sense of new excitement in the engineering and manufacturing worlds and inspire students to follow their passions and further develop their understanding of science.
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