i
E - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, May 4, 1999
HERE COMES THE SUN
'U' team
unveils
solar car
By NikaeSchutte
Daily News Editor
DEARBORN, Mich. - Although
many University students plan to use
their summer months to catch some
rays, not many spent more than 40
hours a week throughout the past aca-
demic year strategizing how to do it in
the most efficient manner.
Since 1997, the University's Solar
Car Team has logged countless hours
working on the 1999 car MaizeBlaze,
which is the fifth-generation vehicle
produced by the team. The tasks,
which included everything from secur-
ing corporate sponsorships to cover the
1.5 million cost to designing a stick
steering mechanism, required the
efforts of nearly 200 students.
Last Friday, the team unveiled the
2-foot-9 inch tall MaizeBlaze during
a ceremony at the Henry Ford
Museum. The car, which weighs
only 400 pounds without the driver
and battery, is scheduled to compete
against 39 other student-built cars in
Sunrayce, a biennial event set to
begin June 20.
Race Manager Jed Christiansen said
he is looking forward to the race as an
opportunity to show the strength of the
Solar Car Team.
"This is our chance to shine,"
Christiansen, a recent Engineering
graduate said adding that "this is our
chance to prove that for the last two
years we have been the best solar car
team," he said.
cHRISCAMPERNEL/Daky
Members of the University's Solar Car Team look on as past member Susan
Fancy unveils the 1999 MalzeBlaze. The car is scheduled to race in June.
University Vice President for
Student Affairs Maureen Hartford said
she believes the team truly exemplifies
the characteristics of the "leaders and
best" and notijust because ofthe team's
winning reputation.
Hartford said the team allows its
members to "design, strategize, and
problem solve," adding that "I can't
think of better skills to leave the
University with."
Recent Engineering graduates Jason
Kramb and Vikram Sahney are sched-
uled to drive MaizeBlaze on the 10-
day, 1,500 mile trek from Washington,
D.C., to the race's finish line in
Orlando, Fla.
Because of the car's small stature,
the design requires the drivers to lay on
their backs while navigating the vehi-
cle.
The car lacks air conditioning and
windshield wipers, but Kramb said he
doesn't mind enduring the hardships in
order to win.
"It's a purpose-bred car" Kramb
said.
Engineering senior Dave Jordan, the
team's crew chief, said MaizeBlaze is
"lighter and faster" than previous solar
cars, which will help the car be "faster
off the line."
Jordan said the team has also
improved the vehicle's equipment so
data can be more accurate and sam-
pled at a faster rate.
"Not only can we find out the
weather and the road conditions, we
can also find out where we stand in the
race;" Jordan said.
Because the race is driven on ordi-
nary U.S. highways, drivers must also
combat regular road obstacles like pot
holes and traffic.
"If a train's crossing the tracks, that's
something I've got to deal with"
Kramb said.
Kramb said he is ready for the jour-
ney and is confident with the team's
efforts. "There is no reason UM can't
win. We have a car with an optimal
design" Kramb said.
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ANNAN
Continued from Page 1
to come to Ann Arbor "to spend some time with leaders of the
21st Century."
As two planes circled the stadium overhead carrying ban-
ners protesting NATO's attacks on Yugoslavia, Annan
addressed human rights, the role of the United Nations and the
graduates' role in the next millennium as part of his speech.
Annan told the audience although "the United Nations is
committed to the maintenance of national sovereignty and
territorial integrity ... by law and by conscience, whe are
equally committed to protecting universal rights, regardless
of frontiers."
lie said the .fight for human rights contmues with the
graduates.
"More than any other aspect of our work, I believe the
struggle for human rights resonates with you our global
constituency of the future," Annan said.
Annan added that human rights are "deeply relevant to the
lives of those most in need: the tortured, the oppressed, the
silenced, the victims of ethnic cleansing and injustice'
Annan praised the University's choice to embrace diversity.
"Michigan's commitment to tolerance and dialogue is well-
established," Annan said, adding that "it is based on the belief
that a diverse environment will give all of you the best prepa-
ration for an increasingly diverse world.
Stressing the importance of tolerance and diversity as ele-
ments of humanity, Annan said the current political and human-
itarian crisis in the Balkans can be blamed on their absence.
"But it will not have come too late for your generation, if it
emboldens you to enter a new century with a renewed corn-
mitment to protecting the rights of every man, woman and
child," he said.
LAWSUIT
Continued from Page 1
court last month, Barry said.
The motion's main argument is tied
to the U.S. Supreme Court case Regents
ofl'Universitr of California v. Bakke.
In the 1978 Bakke ruling, the Supreme
Court justified the use of race in admis-
sions processes as long as quotas are not
used and that all students who are accept-
ed are fully qualified.
"We argue that Bakke is the law of the
land,' Barry said, adding that "wse're
using race in the best way to achieve
diversity"
University spokesperson Julie
Peterson said many institutions yester-
day filed amici curiae briefs. These
admitted "friend of the court" briefs
from the U.S. Department of Justice,
the State of Ohio, the American
Council on Education, the Association
of American Law Schools, Wayne
State University and the Committee
on Institutional Cooperation, all sup-
port the University's argument that
diversity is an important educational
principle.
"We're really appreciative that a lot of
respected institutions have weighed in
early in the game," Barry said, "this is a
very strong shoving."