The student design team Zips Baja completed their 2017 season this past weekend in Peoria, IL. Co-captains Tyler Elfers and Elizabeth Clifford set this year’s goal of finishing in the top ten overall. With 1st place in Sales Presentation and 3rd place in the 4-hour endurance race this weekend, the co-captains lead their team of 40+ engineering students to finish the season in 4th place internationally.
The Zip Baja team participates in the SAE Baja design competition against engineering schools from around the U.S. and the best schools from Mexico, India, China, and Canada. The students design, build, and test an off road vehicle and its performance is rated against other school's cars in three 4-day events. The experiential learning project requires students to apply academic lessons to a real engineering product. While mistakes and failures are expected, the necessary improvements enhance the competition by requiring problem solving and quick decision making. Participation makes students extremely valuable to employers and many students are hired during the events. For more information, contact zipsbaja@gmail.com
