TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama College of Engineering will host 23 universities at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ East Coast Human Powered Vehicle Challenge on April 23-24. Teams from as far away as Puerto Rico, Venezuela, New York, Oklahoma and Wisconsin will compete in the multiple events.

Human powered vehicles are aerodynamic, highly-engineered vehicles that can carry the driver and a small container of cargo. The competition stresses ingenuity in design, including presentation and practicality. The vehicles, which are judged on design, safety and performance, will compete against one another in time trials and endurance events. For safety reasons, the vehicle must be able to stop in a distance of 20 feet from a speed of 15 mph, provide roll-over protection and make sharp turns. The competitions include single-rider and multi-person events.

The schedule of events for the weekend is:

• Sprint Competition: 8 a.m. Saturday, April 23, on Mitt Larry Road. The event will take place on an unused portion of the road that is being extended to U.S. Highway 82. Spectators should park in the areas leading up to this point.
• Utility Endurance Event: 2 p.m. Saturday, April 23, in the parking lot of the new Residence Hall Complex being constructed on Hackberry Lane.
• Endurance Event: 8 a.m. Sunday, April 24, at Tuscaloosa County High School.

For more information on the ASME East Coast Human Powered Vehicle Challenge at The University of Alabama, visit http://www.me.ua.edu/hpv.

In 1837, The University of Alabama became the first university in the state to offer engineering classes and was one of the first five in the nation to do so. Today, the College of Engineering has about 1,800 students and more than 95 faculty. It has been fully accredited since accreditation standards were implemented in the 1930s.