Auburn University’s quarter-scale tractor team, comprised of biosystems engineering students, will receive 100 percent of the funds donated to the College of Agriculture on Auburn’s Tiger Giving Day 2018, set for Wednesday, Feb. 21.
The 24-hour, all-out fundraiser supports specific projects selected by colleges, schools and programs across the Auburn campus. The college’s quarter-scale tractor project will send this year’s student team and its advisors to Illinois to compete during the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers’ International Quarter-Scale Tractor Student Design Competition.
This will mark the 15th straight year the Auburn team has competed for a first-place finish in the global event. In the competition, student teams are given an engine and four tires and must design, build and put their machines to the test in three performance events—a tractor pull, a maneuverability course and a durability course—and “sell” their machines in formal presentations.
A panel of industry experts judges each machine for innovation, manufacturability, serviceability, safety, sound level and ergonomics and evaluates each team’s sales pitch.
Jon Davis, a lecturer in Auburn’s biosystems engineering department and team advisor, said the competition allows students to gain practical experience in designing and manufacturing a tractor and analyzing its performance. Students also develop skills in communication, leadership and teamwork, he said.
But the team needs support to cover students’ room and board and travel costs to and from the competition as well as the cost of moving Auburn’s tractor, tools and equipment to the event.
That’s where Tiger Giving Day comes in.
And if, on Tiger Giving Day, the AU Quarter-Scale Tractor Team project reaches its goal of $5,000, team members also will apply funds toward purchasing a second tractor so that Auburn can send an A-team and a secondary X-Team to the competition.
To see the quarter-scale tractor team in action, watch the College of Agriculture Tiger Giving Day video here, and go to tigergiving.org first thing Feb. 21 and direct your gift towards the College of Agriculture to support the Auburn team.
