Racecar Research

This hands-on laboratory course allows students to explore electric engines, aerodynamics, microcontroller, heat exchangers, sensors, suspensions, steering, and braking systems, etc. as they relate to the design and manufacturing of a collegiate-level Formula Race Car. Students will have the opportunity to explore design considerations, such as hardware/software/methods selection or system level integration, to help connect theoretical foundations with application.  The essence of this program lies in the direct involvement on nascent and ongoing hands-on projects.  Students will work in teams to explore fundamentals of racecar development, including mechanical measurement, analysis and presentation of data.  The Cooper Union Formula SAE Race Team invites you to join our research projects; Help us design, build, and test systems for the 2023-2024 racecar.   

Students will learn: 

-Engineering, math and science concepts related to racecar design

-Methods to design tests for individual car components 

-Engineering design and decision-making tools 

Instructors: Estuardo Rodas, Mechanical Engineering staff and adjunct faculty, and Cooper Union student teaching assistants

Participants: Students in 10th or 11th grade in the 2022-2023 school year. 

Session information: This six-week program offers one session starting Monday, July 10, 2023. Classes meet Monday - Thursday, 9 am to 3 pm.

Prerequisites: none

Teaching method: In person. The instructor and teaching assistants will lead students through daily scheduled lectures, discussions, and practice sessions at 41 Cooper Square. Off campus field trips and site visits will also be scheduled.

Materials: All materials are included.  Students may opt to bring a personal computer.

Cost: $3995

Apply now: https://connect.cooper.edu/apply/
Read the Summer STEM FAQs

Credits: 0.00

Course Code: STEM22-7

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.