the Empire State Electric Energy Research Corporation, and various individual and corporate
donors.
These vehicles were allowed to use only energy from the sun. On the last day,
Clarkson's car averaged about 12 mph over 40 of the last 80 miles; at one point it was traveling
at 22 mph. A hockey puck donated by the Golden Knight hockey team directly drove the left
rear wheel. Because the aluminum cylinder used originally tended to slip, the team replaced it
with two hockey pucks sandwiched between two aluminum disks. This created the required
friction and the car moved forward with the desired speed.
Western Washington University crossed the finish line first with a car that resembled a
glider with one wing tipped to the side, while the University of Maryland took second. By the
end of the race, however, Michigan emerged as the best solar car in America, based on
cumulative times over the 11 days of the race.
WAC.
Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) was proposed to replace the Writing Proficiency
Examination (WPE) as a graduation requirement for all students. This proposal called for every
student to complete three "writing intensive" courses as well as two freshman Great Ideas
courses in order to graduate from Clarkson.
Each "writing intensive" course would demand at least 15 pages of writing on which the
student would receive feedback directly from the instructor. Katherine Gann, a junior chemistry
major and member of the Curriculum and Academic Policy Committee which proposed this
requirement was enthusiastic about it. She said:
Writing is a way to learn, a way to teach, and a way to tie in the curriculum with real-life experiences.
High School Teachers Honored.
At Commencement, Clarkson honored five high school
teachers who had inspired five Clarkson students.
Robert S. Bragg, teacher of Advanced Placement Calculus at F.D. Roosevelt High School in Staatsburg,
N.Y., was nominated by Kathryn Sheehan, accounting major, because he taught her to "learn for the sheer
intrinsic value of the education," and that "success has nothing to do with living up to other people's
expectations."
Sally J. Brooks, teacher of Senior Composition English at Vestal Senior High School in Vestal, N.Y., was
nominated by John P. Maurer, mechanical engineering major, who taught him to "reach for success that is
bounded only by your own imagination."
Gary S. Gula, mathematics teacher at Wilton High School, Wilton, Conn., was chosen by Lisa Cox, ID
major, because he has been "a great positive forcein my life, helping me to achieve all that I want to be,
and to know that I am not alone."
John G. Lord, French teacher at St. Joseph Central High School in Pittsfield, Mass., was selected by
Daniel Leonard, electrical engineering major, because he "encouraged me to immerse myself in learning
without becoming too narrow or focused in any one area."
Douglas Wilbur, physics and chemistry teacher at Canastota Central School, Canastota, N.Y., singled out
by Kimberly Wilbur, his daughter, an accounting major, because "he taught me the discipline that was
necessary to make the President's List more than once."
Women's Leadership.
Twenty Clarkson women attended the fourth annual Women's
Leadership Conference held at Potsdam State's Star Lake campus on January 19 and 20.
Organized by Michelle Camacho, Amy Sanicki, and Prof. Ruth Baltus, all active members of
the Society of Women Engineers, this conference was organized to help build confidence in the
