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University of Manitoba Society of Automotive Engineers (UMSAE) is a technical society that allows students to go beyond textbook theory and apply actual engineering principles to the real world task of designing, building and testing vehicles. With over 100 members, UMSAE is the largest technical society at the University of Manitoba and is also one of the largest SAE International based student groups in the world. UMSAE participates in annual competitions hosted by SAE International in conjunction with industry partners. They compete with teams from countries around the world such as Japan, Germany, Austria, Australia and many others.
This society allows students to apply their skills to all aspects of a real world projects including analysis, design, manufacturing, testing and marketing. Through this process, students gain valuable experience and develop professionalism, teamwork, communication, technical and project management skills which will further help them in finding a job and in pursuing their engineering career.
Formula SAE
The Formula SAE team designs and constructs a formula-type racecar that is taken to competition against other teams from around the world. The car is judged on its design, cost, and safety. It must also face tests such as skid pad testing, acceleration, braking, endurance, and fuel economy. They have now expanded their knowledge in composites and have successfully built their first full carbon fibre chassis.
Formula Hybrid SAE
The Formula Hybrid SAE team designs and constructs a hybrid formula-type racecar that is taken to competition against other teams from around the world. The car is judged on its design, cost, and safety. It must also face tests such as skid pad testing, acceleration, braking, endurance, and fuel economy. The car is powered by less than a litre of fuel and a high voltage battery system and the team made it to design semi-finals at competition this past year.
Mini-Baja
Mini-Baja members design and build an off-road vehicle powered by a standard 10hp Polaris engine. Competition events include a maneuverability test, a rock climb and a 4-hour endurance race on a challenging off-road course. The UMSAE team is currently the best Canadian team at competition.
MicroAero
The Micro AeroDesign team attends the same competition as the AeroDesign team but they compete with different class of aircraft. While the main goal is to build a radio-controlled aircraft and the goals to lift the most payload and the design presentations are the same as AeroDesign, this team has harsh size restraints on their aircraft because it must fit inside a 24” x 18” x 8” box.
AeroDesign
The AeroDesign team designs and builds a radio-controlled aircraft. The goal of the competition is to lift as much payload as possible given a set of constraints that changes annually. The team is judged on payload lift prediction, oral and written design presentations as well as aircraft performance. The team is currently boasting that their 9 pound plane can lift 31 pounds payload.