Baja SAE – formerly known as “Mini Baja” – tasks teams of students from universities around the world with designing, building, and racing off-road vehicles. Nine of our students competed in the latest Baja showdown – the second of the year. (Ten participated in the year’s first, held in April.) The teams in Wisconsin tested their cars in acceleration, load-pull, suspension and traction, and maneuverability events, which culminated in a 4-hour endurance race. Students also submitted cost analyses of their projects, along with in-depth design reports. Students with connections to the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, The Institute of Optics, and the departments of Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering participated. For more of the story, plus pictures, check out the link provided by the team’s president, Phil Katz ’12, and vice president and project manager, Wes Clawson ’13: http://www.rochesterbaja.com.