Inspire, Fall 2007

Inspire 31 What’ s Abuzz Photo Credit: Laurie Dann of Solar Splash Tracking the Celtic Tiger Two hours after graduation, seven Cedarville University students and professor Dr. Franco Gandolfi headed to Dublin, Ireland, for a 23-day study of the Irish economic boom known as the Celtic Tiger. “The Celtic Tiger emerged in Ireland in the mid-1990s and ended in 2001 only to reemerge in 2003,” explained management and marketing senior Thomas Woltman. “The economic boom has transformed Ireland from one of Europe’s poorest nations to one of its wealthiest.” Fast Research Cedarville University associate professor of geology Dr. John Whitmore has joined a group of scientists researching the evidence of a global flood. The Flood Activated Sedimentation and Tectonics (FAST) project will create, model, and test theories for rapid subaqueous deposition by a global flood and interpret the stratigraphic, structural, and intrusive histories of geological formations. In layman’s terms, FAST examines geological evidence of the great flood documented in Genesis 6–8. Wheel World Experience Cedarville University engineering students don’t just dream it — they build it. One of their most recent creations is a formula car, designed and built by the Cedarville University Formula Team and raced in the Formula SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) competition at the Ford Proving Grounds in Romeo, Michigan. A sound-level failure (muffler problem) during the technical inspection led to time-eating corrections, causing the car to miss two of the events. Even with this disadvantage, the team salvaged a 70th-place finish among the 130 participating teams from around the world. World Champs For the third time, the Cedarville University solar boat engineering team won Solar Splash, the world championship of intercollegiate solar boating held in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The CU entry outpaced those of teams from 18 other schools, including the U.S. Naval Academy, Cal-Poly Pomona, the University of Arkansas, Carnegie Mellon, and Istanbul Technical University.