CSULB places 5th in robot fight

Cal Poly's robot fights another at this year's BattleBot competition. Photo credit

Cal State Long Beach engineering students won fifth place last month at the BattleBots collegiate tournament in Vallejo, Calif.

According to a CSULB press release, CSULB's robot, SharkTooth looked to tear robots "to pieces in a cage-style arena." The release also said that the robot had five 10 inch circular saw blades and a row of mill cutting blades to help it fight to the death.

A story in the Daily Forty-Niner said that the CSULB team last competed in 2005, when they lost to Cal Tech.

BattleBots, created by CSULB alumnus Trey Roski, was also a television show that aired on Comedy Central for five seasons.

Construction engineering management team 3rd at national championship

Cal State Long Beach's Design/Build team recently placed third at the 2009 National Student Championship, hosted by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) in San Diego.

According to a CSULB press release, the team had to solve problems in commercial building, heavy civil engineering, and designing and building.

The following students were a part of the team:

• Jeffrey Goodermote
• Alec Grassel
• John Hallgarth
• Dustin House
• Scott Mosier
• Nicholas Tasich
• Ismar Ibrahimpasic (alternate)

Also involved were the following professors:

• Elihami Nasr
• Tang-Hung Nguyen
• Michael Pulley
• Gary Raffert
• Tariq Shehab

Nasr told CSULB:

“Our students had to put forward an extreme effort to go through the entire planning and proposal process within 48 hours. This effort reflects what our university is all about, preparing students to work under pressure in real-life situations while functioning together as academically sound team players. ”

Students built satellites, engines at research competition

Last month Cal State Long Beach held its annual Student Research Competition, and three students from the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering program placed first and second in the engineering and computer science category.

According to the CSULB Web site, Christopher Bostwick and Andrea Smith won first place for designing a rocket engine for "increased engine performance."

David Stout won second place for his CubeSat-class satellite, Hawksat-1. According to a Cal Poly CubeSat site, a CubeSat satellite is a 10 cm cube that can be launched, using a deployment device, to conduct space research.

The competition was held Feb. 28, with 48 students in eight categories. The California State University Student Research Competition will be held May 1 and 2 at CSULA. Last year, 10 of 40 CSU students who participated in the competition represented CSULB, according to the CSULB Web site.

Photo: CSULB students Christopher Bostwick and Andrea Smith stand in front of their rocket engine. Photo courtesy of CSULB

Aspiring engineers may inspire even younger engineers

Cal State Long Beach will host the Junior MESA Day on March 14 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is looking for volunteers to aid in encouraging future engineers, scientists and mathematicians.

MESA, or Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement, is a nationwide organization dedicated to helping students excel in the fields of mathematics, engineering and science.

The organization's Junior MESA Day allows middle school and junior high and students to represent their schools in various competitions that reinforces what students learn in the classroom. According to a 2005 CSULB press release, the competitions included an egg drop, a water-bottle rocket launch and crystal growing.

The College of Engineering is currently looking for CSULB students who would like to volunteer, either by judging competitions or watching the crowd, according to Saba Yohannes-Reda, director of the MESA Schools Program.

Volunteers do not have to be math, science or engineering majors, Yohannes-Reda said in an e-mail. The first 10 students to sign up will each receive a $50 stipend.

However, volunteers must attend a mandatory orientation on either March 6 or March 13 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, contact Yohannes-Reda at (562) 985-1463.

Photo: MESA also annually holds a MESA Day across the U.S., specifically for high school students.

Image courtesy of CSULB