12:00PM 4:00PM Registration. 8:45AM 9:15AM Teams Arrive. 9:15AM 9:55AM Weight and Size Check. 12:00PM 3:30PM College Category Blade Testing

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1 The Switch Blade Competition is a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education effort to engage the next generation in the challenge of making Alabama powered by 100% clean energy. The competition challenges high school and college students to redesign and manufacture the blades of a military wind power system originally designed for the high-speed winds of Afghanistan. The team that produces the most electricity at low speeds, more indicative of Alabama wins! Event Details Date: Saturday March 19, 2016 Location: U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Aviation Challenge Schedule: Friday March 18, :00PM 4:00PM Registration Saturday March 19, :45AM 9:15AM Teams Arrive 9:15AM 9:55AM Weight and Size Check 10:00AM Opening Remarks 10:15AM 12:00PM High School Category Blade Testing and College Category Presentations/Exhibits 12:00PM 3:30PM College Category Blade Testing 3:30PM 4:00PM Awards presented by Bob Baron, former Huntsville meteorologist with WAAY TV and founder of Baron Services Cost: Free and open to the public Food: Refreshments provided Prize: High School Category Winner: Scholarship yet to be determined

2 College Category Winner: Vacation yet to be determined Switch Blade is Sponsored by: For more information on this event, please visit alcse.org/switchblade/ Special Guests: Bob Baron is a former Huntsville television meteorologist and is the Founder and President of Baron Services, a weather technology company in Huntsville that specializes in early detection and dissimilation of weather information to the public. Bob graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Business School of Journalism and went on to serve as a Chief Meteorologist for 20 years. Bob founded Baron Services in the aftermath of the deadly Airport Road Tornado that hit Huntsville in Parking: Parking is completely free and you may park anywhere on the U.S. Space and Rocket Center grounds. We recommend parking near the main entrance for proximity to the event. Information for Teams Requirements to Participate: Preparation: Teams must consist of more than one person A professor, teacher or other faculty member must be responsible for your team. They will be required to sign off on your team s participation. Upon your acceptance into the competition, you will be mailed two (2) 3D printed blade bases. In order for your blade to fit properly, your blade must have an exact replica of the blade base. Also upon acceptance, you will receive two (2) CAD models to help inform your design process. The first CAD model is of the original blade developed for the high desert winds of Afghanistan. The second CAD model is the maximum dimensions that your blade could reach. Any design must fit inside this second CAD model so it may be tested within the confines of the wind tunnel.

3 Getting College Credit: The SwitchBlade Team highly recommends that your work with an appropriate professor to receive credit. Many teams have used the SwitchBlade Competition as their Senior Design Project. Getting a Stipend for Manufacturing: Each team can receive a $500 stipend to cover the costs associated with manufacturing your blades. In order to receive the stipend, your preliminary design must be submitted to your faculty sponsor. The faculty sponsor is responsible for notifying the SwitchBlade Team that your team is ready for the stipend. All stipends will be mailed via USPS to the faculty sponsor. Only teams from within the State of Alabama are eligible for a stipend. Using Software: All academic teams wishing to participate in the 2016 Switch Blade Competition can use Siemens PLM Software (Solid Edge) for the design of their blades. Siemens Solid Edge is an industry-leading 3D CAD mechanical design system with exceptional tools for creating and managing 3D designs. Solid Edge Student Edition is available to all students at no cost (free). Students can obtain Solid Edge by registering at Solid Edge High School Edition is available to all secondary schools at no cost (free) and provides an academic site license. Schools can obtain Solid Edge by registering at NASA also has a great resource center of software that is available, much of it free! To access their database, please visit: 3D Printing (if applicable): You may use any method you see fit to build your blades. If you d like to 3D print your blade, feel free! We ve developed a list of companies and organizations that have agreed to allow SwitchBlade teams to use their 3D printing equipment for the competition. You may need to use your stipend to use some of these resources. If you need access to a 3D printer from one of resources below, please contact Daniel Tait at dtait@alcse.org. The University of Alabama in Huntsville Mind Gear Labs Zero Point Frontiers Dry Runs: You will be given up to two opportunities to test fit your blades in the run up to the competition. You may show up at any time during the specified blocks. Location TBD. o These dates will be: December 16 th, 2015 from 2:00PM 4:00PM February 24 th, 2016 from 2:00PM 4:00PM You will not have the opportunity to run the wind generator except on competition day.

4 Day Of: Teams should plan to arrive with windmill blades at the US Space and Rocket Center the day of the competition no later than 9:15 AM. Please be aware that one blade will be kept for display after the competition. If you would like to keep all 3 blades used on testing day, please bring an extra blade than can be kept for display afterwards. Prior to the competition day, you will be assigned specific times for testing and presenting (if applicable) in order that you may plan your day. You may bring tools and other items to make adjustments on the day of the competition. You are responsible for all of the items you may need. Presentation Procedure (College Teams Only): College teams will be required to make a short presentation to a panel of three who will provide feedback to the participating teams. Your presentation may be in any order but needs to address at least the following topics in less than 15 minutes: System Overview Personnel and Roles Schedule Cost Analysis Unexpected Problems Conclusion The total possible score is 100 and is determined by the average of each grader s score. The presentation will account for 25% of your team s score. Example: Team A presents to the panel. Judge 1 gives the team an 80. Judge 2 gives the team a 91. Judge 3 gives the team a 90. The presentation score for Team A is 87. Testing Procedure: Blade testings will take place over three (3) testing sessions in the wind tunnel. Each team s blades will be tested once at a low load (10 amps), once at a medium load (30 amps) and once at a high load (60 amps), each for two (2) minutes. The test will begin when your blades have reached a constant speed. At the end of both sessions, the cumulative watt/hours will be recorded. Choosing the Winner: For high school teams: The team that produces the most cumulative watt/hours will win the competition. For college teams: The cumulative watt/hours are multiplied by.75 and the overall presentation score is multiplied by.25. The team will the highest result wins the competition.

5 Testing Environment More information coming soon! The Wind Tunnel: The wind tunnel characterization is included below. Exhibit Booth: Each team is expected to host members of the public at a booth (to be provided) when their blades are not being tested. Because you may be making last minute adjustments, we recommend your team assign a public relations person(s) to work the booth. This person needs to be able to intelligently talk about the team s design and methodology. After the Competition: Winners will have the opportunity to present their blades and blade design to a handful of technical societies and organizations in the greater Huntsville area including the Association of Energy Engineers Huntsville Chapter, Energy Huntsville and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Greater Huntsville Section. This opportunity allows the winning to receive recognition for their success but also to network with potential employers looking for talent.