Cedarville Magazine Summer 2018

on a systems basis,” Sparks said. “For a business our size and what we do, it’s a very important attribute that I value in engineers to do more than just whatever your major was.” Montague’s collaborative desires that drew him back to SeaLandAire after college were nurtured in Cedarville’s senior design project under the leadership of Timothy Dewhurst, Senior Professor of Mechanical Engineering. As part of this project, students create solar-powered boats. Cedarville boats continually perform well in annual competitions, winning 10 of the last 14 years and three years in a row at the Collegiate World Championship of Solar Boating (for more information, read “Light Speed” on page 27). “It set the stage really well for after school to understand that the way you attack a problem isn’t always the idealized way or even the textbook way,” Montague said. “There’s more of a process of taking it from open-ended to building something.” Montague acquired that hands-on experience during his senior year in a more innovative way than he anticipated. The solar team had not done well for a few years, so it started from scratch. The team scrapped the traditional canoe-style boats, and Montague designed a hull style that looks like a small speedboat. Two years later, Ziegenfuss significantly reduced the weight of Montague’s design and helped design another boat for the DONG Energy Solar Challenge in the Netherlands in 2012, which permitted outside help. Cedarville was the top university team in the international contest. SeaLandAire now assists Cedarville on the solar boat design, with a new vessel ready for this summer’s collegiate solar boating contest in Springfield, Ohio. “My passion for doing this sort of thing started with the exposure that I got to this kind of complete process in senior design at Cedarville,” Ziegenfuss said. “That process, knowing that every time I do something I get better at it, is exciting for me.” No one is more excited than Sparks to see this team of Cedarville graduates put their education into practice at SeaLandAire. “It's my belief we couldn't have done it, at least to the extent that we have, without Brian — well, without all of our Cedarville guys.” Jeff Gilbert ’87 is Assistant Professor of Journalism at Cedarville University and a 22-year newspaper veteran. “My passion for doing this sort of thing started ... at Cedarville.” – Stephen Ziegenfuss ’06 Among the high-tech Jackets at SeaLandAire Technologies, Inc., are Austin Russell ’16, Justin Engel ’13, Stephen Ziegenfuss ’09, Brian Montague ’04, Ethan Zonca ’13, and Joe Niemiec ’14. Not pictured: Steve Smith ’09. Cedarville Magazine | 19