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spotlight: Igniting alternative energy
  Tonight:
  • Attend a soap box discussion (in person or via webcast) and view prototypes of the stackable, electric City Car
  • Or attend the kickoff for MADMEC, a materials science competition focused on the future of energy.

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      Home - MIT MADMEC 2008:
    Materials Solutions for Alternative Energy
    Kickoff event: Wednesday, March 19, 7 pm, The Chipman Room, 6-104

    MADMEC (Making and Designing Materials Engineering Contest) is a joint venture between MIT's Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Dow Chemical Company, Saint Gobain and General Motors. It is MIT's hope that MADMEC will empower students to shape the future of energy, making a difference through materials science and engineering.

    MADMEC 2008 will revolve around 6 distinct challenges as well as an open category:
    • Car challenge - Design and build a prototype device that exploits untapped sources of energy in the various systems of an automobile
    • Building efficiency challenge - Design and build a prototype device that utilizes wasted energy at MIT
    • Robot challenge - Construct a remotely controlled vehicle that runs on a non-traditional energy source
    • Bio challenge - Build a device that draws its power from biological or agricultural sources
    • Third-world green building window challenge - Use non-traditional material sources to construct a material (system) that can transmit visible light while reflecting the IR
    • Habitat challenge - Build a prototype that improves any aspect of our habitat
    The most successful contest entries will be those that leverage advanced or novel applications of materials research, or incorporate materials science solutions in a creative manner. However, the primary intent of this contest is to engage students in prototyping, design and device fabrication, while elucidating the materials engineer's role in alternative energy development. Therefore prototypes are not necessarily required to be materials-centric. Good ideas, designs and prototypes are the main emphasis of the contest.

    Teams must submit registration information and proposals by April 25.

    William Mitchell: Soap Box at the MIT Museum
    Wednesday, March 19, 6-7:30 pm, MIT Museum, 265 Mass. Ave.
    View the webcast - starting at 6 pm

    The City Car is a concept for a stackable, electric two passenger vehicle, for use in dense urban areas. Designed for shared use, these vehicles and charging stations are placed around the city -- for example, near subway and bus lines. Drivers simply remove a fully charged vehicle from the front of the stack just as they would pick up a luggage cart at the airport. Prototypes of the City Car are on display at the MIT Museum.

    Speaking about the City Car will be William Mitchell, Professor of Architecture and Media Arts and Sciences at MIT. Mitchell holds the Alexander W. Dreyfoos, Jr. (1954) Professorship and directs the Media Lab's Smart Cities research group. He was formerly Dean of the School of Architecture and Planning and Head of the Program in Media Arts and Sciences, both at MIT. He will be speaking along with some of the graduate students who designed the prototypes.     		  MADMEC 2008
    MADMEC 2008: student contest develops materials solutions to alternative energy challenges

     

    City Car
    City Car: discuss this electric concept car with Professor Bill Mitchell at the MIT Museum Soap Box series (webcast tonight)