Media Advisory: First-year engineering students to test their designs at Solar Oven Throw Down

Oct. 11, 2024

Media Advisory: First-year engineering students to test their designs at Solar Oven Throw Down

What: University of Arizona College of Engineering Solar Oven Throw Down
When: Tuesday, Oct. 15, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Where: U of A Mall (east of the Cactus Garden)

TUCSON, Ariz. – Hundreds of first-year students from the University of Arizona College of Engineering will gather Tuesday on the U of A Mall for the annual Solar Oven Throw Down, cooking biscuits in solar ovens they crafted out of common, low-cost materials such as cardboard, duct tape and aluminum foil.

The students applied thermodynamic and mathematical concepts to the design and construction of the ovens. Working in small teams, they will compete as class units for the overall Throw Down award, which goes to the class that achieves the highest performance index, a measure of the temperature reached divided by the cost of the materials. They'll also compete for the highest average oven temperature and the "all in the same boat" teamwork award from sponsor W.L. Gore and Associates.

The Solar Oven Throw Down represents one of the students' first hands-on design experiences as part of the College of Engineering's four-year Craig M. Berge Engineering Design Program.

Media contact:
Alexandra Pere
College of Engineering
504-214-9459
alexandrapere@arizona.edu

The University of Arizona, a land-grant institution with two independently accredited medical schools, ranks among the nation's top universities, according to U.S. News & World Report. Established in 1885, the university is widely recognized as student-centric and has been designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. As a leading Research 1 institution, the University of Arizona ranks in the top 20 among all public universities with $955 million in annual research expenditures according to the National Science Foundation. The university advances the frontiers of interdisciplinary scholarship and entrepreneurial partnerships as a member of the Association of American Universities, the 71 leading public and private research universities in the U.S. and Canada. It benefits the state of Arizona with an estimated economic impact of $4.1 billion annually.