Spring semester on campus finds many seniors focusing on the final stretch of classes, job-hunting, or the possibilities of graduate school.
But 11 seniors in the Mechanical Engineering Department have taken a different route by constructing a hovercraft-a vehicle capable of moving over water or land on a cushion of air.
Working under the team name of "The Hovercats," these students are the first UNH team to ever build a hovercraft at the University of New Hampshire.
"The amazing aspect of this project is that these seniors are starting from
scratch," said Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering May-Win Thein who is one of the group's faculty advisors.
According to group member Ben Buchinski, the idea of this project first originated four years ago in a entry-level engineering course where the students were required to design a vehicle for their final project.
"Mike Grobecker and I designed a hovercraft during this class thinking that it would be cool to design a hovercraft but never really gave it much thought until junior year when it became an option for a senior project," Buchinski said.
"By junior year when we were required to start thinking about a senior project, the design for he hovercraft came up," said team leader Mike Grobecker. "None of us wanted to do repeat any of the past senior projects and a lot of people showed interest in working on the hovercraft."
Since the project's origination in the spring of 2005 it has gained momentum and support. Now a large group of 11 engineers not only from the Mechanical Engineering Department but also from the Ocean Engineering and Electrical Engineering Department are involved, as well.
The sole female student of the group, as well as the only electrical
engineer, Kate Palmer, said that the opportunity to work hands-on attracted her to this project.
"I got involved because I went abroad with some of the guys in this group," Palmer said. "And when they started the project, they approached me to work on the project. I am enjoying it because I am finally getting a chance to learn a lot of the hands on aspects of engineering. As an electrical engineer we mostly work with the math and paper aspect of it (engineering), so it's a nice change."
For senior Chad Greenlaw, whose main role in the project is to work on the hull and skirt of the craft, this project is the epidemy of all that he enjoys about his major.
"My dad got me into engineering when I was younger," Greenlaw said. "I was always enthusiastic about taking things apart and trying to figure out how to put them back together. This project is great because it is such a challenge to have to complete research, design and build something from scratch."
For others in the group, it is not just the challenge of creating something that has drawn them together but also the opportunity these seniors now have to create something completely original at the university.
"This project has never been done before at UNH and we all want to start a legacy to be the forefathers and mothers of a new kind of senior project at the school," said Mike "Boots" Boutin.
Thus far the project has been split into two phases. The first phase, which started last April and went through the summer and into the fall 2005 semester, involved months of researching, fundraising and designing.
"We started last spring by doing a lot of research and spent most of the summer fundraising," Buchinski said. "This summer we found sponsors and organized a Golf tournament to raise the $17,500 needed for this project." The group would meet once a month over the summer, and sometimes more to do research or to work on the golf tournament they organized to raise funds for materials and tools.
"The fundraising we have been doing has been extremely successful," Grobecker said. "So far we have raised almost all the money we need and we haven't had to go to the school for anything. Everyone has been so supportive. Our sponsors Ace-Paint and Kollsman donated huge amounts of money."
"Even the Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department, Todd Gross, when we had no money wrote us a personal check for five hundred dollars to help get us started," added senior Mike Farrar.
Advisor Thein was very impressed with the fundraising success of the group, "It is very, very rare for a senior class to not need money for their senior project," Thein said. "It is impressive that this group was able to raise all the money they needed without help from the department."
After the success in fundraising came the long hours spent researching and designing.
According to Greenlaw, the hours dedicated to this aspect of the project took up most of the fall semester and required the seniors to put in long, and challenging days. Spring semester, however, has seen the seniors moving on to phase two of the project. In this second half the group is taking their designs and building the actual craft.
The Hovercats are working to not only build a vehicle that is capable of traveling on all types of terrain while remaining maneuverable and compact, but they expect their craft to be able to carry two people while traveling at the speed of 40 mph on land and 50 mph on water.
Boutin who enjoys mechanical engineering for the hands on aspect of it claims that ability to learn and apply the knowledge has been one of the most enjoyable aspects of the second phase of this project.
"We are at the building phase and have been putting in almost 20 hours in a week," Boutin said. "Now we are on schedule to finish this by the end of the semester."
However, as Farrar points out, there have been some unexpected challenges. "There are so many things we are learning along the way here," Farrar said. "Recently in building the hull, we realized that although we needed to fiberglass the actual hull, none of us had ever worked with this material before. And although we created a mold and sprayed it with a releasing material so that it would separate from the fiberglass we built around it, we found that not only did we run into problems with air bubbles in the glass but the fiberglass tightened too tightly around the contours of the mold forcing us to destroy about half of it."
However, if all goes well the project should be done by May, allowing the group a month to learn to drive the craft and work out the kinks before making the long drive to Chillicothe, O.H. on June 22 for the annual Hoverrally, an event which is sponsored by the Hoverclub of America.
The Hoverrally, which is the biggest hovercraft competition in the U.S., will give the group the opportunity to participate in three different races.
"Hovercrafts are difficult because they are not like a car which you can turn just by spinning the wheel," Farrar said, who is the only one in the whole group who has ever attempted to drive a hovercraft. "The craft moves more sideways. And you have to get used to this craft being off the ground and you have to constantly be shifting your weight, kind of like a snowmobile."
"Not only will it be a challenge getting to the competition but the competition itself is going to be difficult", said Grobecker. "We will be competing against experienced people who have been doing this for some time. They have the luxury of having the experiences, the tools and the time that we don't have in making ours."
However, for many in the group the competition alone does not seem to be the highlight of this project. The emphasis placed upon the team itself and upon the idea that they are generating and learning something new with each step seems to be what is most are drawing from this experience.
"We are all happy," Farrar said. "Everyone [in the department] seems to notice that we don't shout and bicker as can sometimes happen in senior projects this big."
Advisor Thein spoke for the faculty in complimenting the group on its achievements so far in the project.
"The usual depth and breadth of the knowledge and classes required of engineering students is incredibly challenging, and these seniors have gone the extra step to generate something entirely original at this school," Thein said. "I and the other faculty are very impressed with this group and what they have done so far. I know everyone in this department is really excited and very supportive of this project.
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