SAE Foundation Annual Report 2014 - 7

Somewhere nestled off a
drive flanked by "Keep Out"
signs in a brick building they
call simply "the 800," the
engineering/racing team
Slipstream, spent hundreds
of hours preparing for the
next phase of competition,
World Finals in Abu Dhabi.
At the World Finals Slipstream was highly competitive and took 4th place out of 44
other teams representing 40 countries.
Although the races are the centerpiece and watching the carefully engineered models
hurtle down the track, blazing through 20 meters in the blink of an eye, is doubtlessly
thrilling, the competition tests far more than a team's engineering prowess. They've also
had to enter the world of marketing and networking, with Kumar writing press releases
and making contacts and the team presenting work in front of crowded rooms, describing
projects in a way that feels more like a sales pitch than a high school project. Just like a
real-world company the team created a company name, designed a logo and together
made each design decision.
"We've all competed in other STEM competitions and what we see with this program
is that it encompasses so much more," said Victoria Sinclair, graphic designer and
manufacturing engineer for Slipstream. "You learn things about how you work with other
people, you learn things about the world around you, you learn how to collaborate."
Margi Nanney is the Southern Region F1 In Schools Coordinator and she explained that
these students receive so much more than an excellent educational experience. "We're
very proud of the success of these students and we know that they have built unshakeable
bonds with their teammates and other members of the local, national and international
community."

7
SAE Foundation Annual Report 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SAE Foundation Annual Report 2014
