Baylor University welcomes solar car teams, vehicles to campus Wednesday

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Contact: Eric Eckert, 254-710-1964

WACO, Texas (July 22, 2014) – Baylor University will welcome 25 high school Solar Car Challenge teams – and their vehicles – to campus on Wednesday.

The teams will drive their cars from Fort Worth to Waco and will arrive late Wednesday afternoon. The public is invited to visit with the teams and see the cars, which will be on display from 4-9 p.m. in the Ferrell Center parking lot, 1900 South University Parks Drive.

“We are excited to welcome some of the nation’s brightest young high school students to Waco and the Baylor School of Engineering and Computer Science,” said Dennis O’Neal, Ph.D., dean of Baylor’s School of Engineering and Computer Science. “The Solar Car Challenge is a great introduction to science and engineering, and we are encouraged to see so many young leaders participate in this year’s event. Like many Baylor students, these high school students are using their gifts and talents to create a better world, and we wholeheartedly support their efforts to do so.”

The Solar Car Challenge was established in 1993 to help motivate high school students in science and engineering and to increase alternative energy awareness. The Challenge teaches students around the world how to build roadworthy solar cars.

On Thursday, the teams will leave Waco and continue to Austin, their final destination on their cross-country trip.

More information, including the driving route, can be found at www.solarcarchallenge.org.

ABOUT BAYLOR
Baylor University is a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The university provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating university in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.

ABOUT THE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE

With more than 10 percent of Baylor University’s freshman class pursuing major courses of study in the School of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS), the focus remains on preparing graduates for professional practice and responsible leadership with a Christian world view. ECS majors include bioinformatics, computer science, electrical and computer engineering, general engineering, and mechanical engineering. Among ECS graduate programs are Master of Science degrees in all disciplines, a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering, and several dual degree programs. The Teal Residential College for Engineering and Computer Science, in which students and faculty live, fosters the pursuit of wisdom, academic excellence, and meaningful relationships for the development of diverse, innovative leaders.