It was Memorial Day 2019, just days before the big AutoDrive Challenge. Kettering University’s team was testing its car before shipping it to the competition. Suddenly the smell of smoke filled the air. The tester slammed the emergency stop button. That button shut everything off, ensuring everyone’s safety. But their computer, the heart and soul of their project car, was done for.
The team didn’t panic. More teammates came in on the holiday. They stayed till 4:00 a.m. to fix what they could. They left for the competition with their Chevy Bolt, a compact electric car, and a fried computer. A sponsor sent a computer to them, but the team would have to put it together when they got there.
What the Challenge Is All About
In the AutoDrive Challenge, college students from across North America are working to turn full-size electric cars into self-driving cars. It is a three-year process where teams take on progressively harder challenges. This new competition is sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and carmaker General Motors. In 2018, eight colleges and universities were invited to participate. Kettering University in Flint, Michigan, was one of them.
Kathryn Cesiel, 22, is a mechanical and electrical engineering student and a member of Kettering’s AutoDrive team. She works as a safety team leader.
This story is from the May/June 2020 edition of Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May/June 2020 edition of Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Who's Your Cousin?
The great apes are among the most popular animals in most zoos. Their actions, facial expressions, and family life remind us so much of ourselves. Have you ever wondered, though, how we might look to them?
Is it possible to die of boredom?
To figure out if we can die of boredom, we first have to understand what boredom is. For help, we called James Danckert, a psychologist who studies boredom at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
THE PROBLEM WITH PALM OIL
Palm oil is all around you. It’s in sugary snacks like cookies and candy bars. It’s in lipstick and shampoo and pet food.
SERGE WICH
Serge Wich’s favorite days at work are spent out in the forest, studying orangutans in Sumatra and Borneo or chimpanzees in Tanzania.
ELODIE FREYMANN
When you’re feeling sick, it probably doesn’t occur to you to try eating tree bark.
Guardians of the Forest
EARLY, MAKESHIFT WILDLIFE DRONES HELPED TO DETECT AND PROTECT ORANGUTANS.
APE ANTICS
The Whirling World of primate play
Dr. Ape Will See You Now
HUMANS AREN’T THE ONLY PRIMATES THAT USE MEDICATION.
THE LEFT OVERS
A lot has happened for modern humans to get to this point. We lost most of our hair, learned how to make tools, established civilizations, sent a person to the Moon, and invented artificial intelligence. Whew! With all of these changes, our bodies have changed, too. It’s only taken us about six million years.
SO, WHAT IS A PRIMATE?
What do you have in common with the aye-aye, sifaka, siamang, and potto? If you said your collarbone, you re probably a primatologist—a person who studies primates. If you’re not, read on.
