Read the article "Engineering Projects are Vehicles for Missions"
(excerpt from the Brown Bulletin, JBU's alumni magazine)

Click here to see pictures of JBU students' BUV!

See Rose-Hulman, IUPUI, and JBU students (and many more) drive their prototype vehicles through ditches, water, mud, and obstacle courses - all in an effort to develop the ideal vehicle for the rural areas of Third World countries. At www.drivebuv.org

IAT's goal is create a simple motor-vehicle that can be produced in thousands of micro-factories throughout the developing world. This annual competition has proven to be an effective design and marketing tool for the advancement of both vehicle design and IAT goals. Students gain from having a global, real-world project that challenges them and provides a platform for learning engineering principles. Students submit their vehicles to rigorous testing, with the ultimate goal being safe, reliable, extremely affordable (less than $1,000 each) transportation. Local businesses have provided the student prizes.

Popular Mechanics: World's Cheapest Truck

Photo by IUPUI

Student engineers hope to eliminate Third World poverty by designing low-cost trucks for rural residents. The Institute for Affordable Transportation sponsors an annual Basic Utility Vehicle design competition, then gives engineering drawings of the best entries to small manufacturers in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Aid agencies and multinational banks lend local entrepreneurs the money to buy the vehicles, such as the $900 10-hp, open-sided model shown here, giving them the mobility needed to start businesses. For the rules for the next competition go to www.drivebuv.org

STUDENTS PLACE FOURTH IN BASIC UTILITY VEHICLE COMPETITION
During the first weekend in May, two of our graduating seniors won fourth place at the Fourth Annual Basic Utility Vehicle Competition held in Zionsville, Ind. The Institute for Affordable Transportation (IAT) sponsors the competition. J. T. Brady and Seth Talley designed and constructed the utility vehicle that landed them in the top five. Sixteen other universities competed with teams of six students from across the U. S. and Canada. Dr. Kim supervised and accompanied the team to Indiana for the competition. He also is a technical advisor for the Institute for Affordable Transportation. “I believe JBU was most effective in terms of ‘yield’ by one person, even though the number of people on a team was not a factor in the final score,” Dr. Kim said.