Students Put RC Cars to the Test The Fast and Hilarious

The rubber meets the road for Westmont’s engineering students who, as part of their coursework, will race foot-long remote control cars on a short, oval racetrack in front of Kerrwood Hall on Monday, Dec. 6, from 11:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. The students have created the cars from kits with hundreds of parts for their Machine Design course with Dan Jensen, director of the engineering program.

“They’ve had hands-on experience with the mechanical engineering components, such as gears, shock absorbers, motors and other interesting mechanical components,” Jensen says. “It’s a challenge for them to manufacture the cars while learning about power transfer and suspension systems. But, it’s a lot of fun!”

The winner of the double-elimination race will receive a trophy.

Now in its third year, Westmont’s engineering major is gaining traction with about two dozen new students enrolling this fall. The program blends courses in engineering, physics, mathematics and chemistry to help students find innovative solutions to enduring problems through collaboration, problem-solving and moral discernment.

Jensen, a senior fellow at the International Design Center at Singapore University of Technology and Design and MIT, joined the college in the fall to prepare adaptive engineers committed to blending science, engineering and the arts. He earned a doctorate in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder.