STUDENT VENTURES DAVE SCHENKER Mechanical Engineering undergraduate “Ever since I heard about cars and trucks running on vegetable oil, I thought it was a cool idea and I wanted to build the fastest one. Each member of our team played a key role in making this happen.”
With panache and enthusiasm, Boise State student researchers are making an impact that extends far beyond campus. Meet a few of these students and recent graduates.
Cofounder of student club Greenspeed THAT designed, built and raced the world’s fastest vegetable oilpowered vehicle Research: Schenker led the student team in building a souped-up 1998 Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck that runs completely on vegetable oil. In November, he drove and raced the vehicle at California’s El Mirage, clocking a record speed of 155 mph.
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COURTESY HOLLY SALEWSKI
CARRIE QUINNEY PHOTO
Approach: Working with Dr. John Gardner, a mechanical engineering professor and director of the CAES Energy Efficiency Research Institute, Schenker researched everything from fabrication costs and design factors to the chemistry of burning biofuel and the physical demands of driving a race vehicle. With no starting budget and backed by donations, Schenker and his team built the truck, valued at around $125,000, and hauled it first to Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats and then to the Mojave Desert, where it set the new world record. The truck was displayed earlier this year at the Washington Auto Show in Washington, D.C.