WESTEC winners

For immediate release:

Cal State L.A. Team Places First
in WESTEC Manufacturing Challenge

Los Angeles, CA – Cal State L.A.’s technology student team recently garnered first place in the University Category at the highly regarded WESTEC 2004 Manufacturing Challenge, a creative annual manufacturing competition where college students engineer and manufacture products for judging by manufacturing professionals, held at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Cal State L.A.’s winning project, “Recumbent Tricycle Design and Manufacturing,” beat out UC San Diego, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly Pomona, San Jose State, Western Washington University, Brigham Young University, and two projects from Arizona State University.

Members from the Cal State L.A. team include: Jose Cardenas (senior, Calipatria resident); Brendan Chua (senior, Rosemead resident); Aaron Kausen (senior, Pasadena resident); Jeff Kay (senior, Granada Hills resident); Shant Mardirosian (senior, Pasadena resident); and Juan Pena (graduate student, Chino resident). The team advisors were technology faculty members Paul Liu, Virgil Seaman, and Jai Hong.

Professor Liu notes that significant underwriting from the University for its College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology helped to support the team’s project.

For the competition, the students were to design and manufacture an electricity-powered recumbent tricycle that is suitable for both law enforcement and recreational uses. The tricycle’s ergonomic design and power mechanism enable a comfortable ride, making long-distance riding free from neck strain, saddle sores, and wrist pain. There are four stages involved in this process. The first stage is to research recumbent vehicles and brainstorm ideas for the design. The second stage is to design using CAD (computer-aided design) software to generate the 3-D models. The third stage is to manufacture and assemble the vehicle utilizing both welding and CNC (computer numerical control). The fourth stage is to test the vehicle in the field and collect data.

WESTEC is where North America’s technology users and sellers collaborate—production challenges are solved, and long-term relationships are built through key face-to-face interaction on the show floor. Exhibitors can build relationships with prospective customers, and attendees can establish trust in companies they buy from.

WESTEC is cosponsored by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), the world’s leading professional society serving the manufacturing industries. Founded in 1932, SME has some 60,000 members in 70 countries and supports a network of hundreds of chapters worldwide.

For more information, call the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology at Cal State L.A., (323) 343-4500.

WORKING FOR CALIFORNIA – California State University, Los Angeles: A comprehensive university at the heart of a major metropolitan city. The 175-acre hilltop campus is located five miles east of Los Angeles’ civic and cultural center. Since 1947, Cal State L.A. has been a leader in providing quality higher education. Today, the campus comprises a faculty of internationally recognized scholars and artists, and more than 21,000 students with a wide variety of interests, ages and backgrounds that reflect the city’s dynamic mix of populations. Cal State L.A. is one of 23 campuses in the CSU system.