Jacqueline Munn - mechanical engineering student

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The internal combustion engine is responsible for 80 per cent of the carbon monoxide and 40 per cent of the nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons that humans spew into the atmosphere. It's no surprise that building a viable solar car has been the dream of environmentalists and engineers for many years.

The World Solar Challenge is an opportunity for countries from around the globe to demonstrate the latest in solar car technology, racing their vehicles from Darwin to Adelaide. In 1998, some 50 teams from 15 countries are expected to take part.

What does it take to get a vehicle to the starting line of this prestigious international race? Students from my school, Annesley College in Adelaide, can tell you; our girls' high school first entered the World Solar Challenge in 1990, modifying an existing solar car, and naming it EOS after the Greek goddess of the dawn. The school has entered every Challenge since, and is now preparing for 1998.

I became involved with fundraising for the EOS solar car in my first year of high school. Over the next few years, I contributed to all phases of its construction - the carbon fibre body, mechanical construction, electronics and the solar panels. As a member of the race team, I helped maintain and repair the vehicle.

That was where my initial keen interest in science became an even keener interest in engineering. Now I am in the final year of a mechanical engineering degree at the University of Adelaide. The subjects I am studying have practical applications in many interesting areas including robotics and manufacturing, aircraft and vehicle design, and energy production.

I am particularly interested in ways of automatically controlling vibrations and noise. When I finish my course, I would like to work overseas in this area.

 

 

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