For the many Cub Scouts that participate in the Annual Pinewood Derby competition, this is truly an exciting time of year. This year, Oregon Institute of Technology engineering students from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers reached out to local scout packs to offer help for those that may not have the tools to convert their creative design ideas into a working vehicle (car, truck, dragster, classic, etc.).
David Culler is a professor in OIT’s Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering and Technology department. Culler is also the faculty adviser for SME. Culler, along with students Nick Evans and Sam Elliot, attended a recent scout meeting to offer their services to kids and parents. During the past few weeks, various groups of kids have spent the evening at the Cornett Hall machine shop on the OIT campus refining their designs, cutting their car shapes and sanding them down to a sleek, smooth finish.
Along the way, the SME group takes advantage to emphasize safety and engage the kids using computer applications and a laser machine to cut out a small cub scout plaque that the boys took with them at the end of the night.
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