Cal Maritime
California State University Maritime Academy, Vallejo, California
Faculty Adviser
Tom Nordenholz, [email protected]
Vision and Mission
California State University Maritime Academy’s team, Cal Maritime, has experienced the life-threatening effects of climate change firsthand, as wildfires forced evacuation of the campus multiple times in the last few years. Experiencing these impacts so close to home has intensified our determination to support renewable energy and inspired new students to join us in participating in the U.S. Department of Energy Collegiate Wind Competition (CWC).
Background
Cal Maritime has participated in the CWC every year since the competition’s inception in 2014. We won the Turbine Digital Design Contest in 2020 and the Turbine Testing award in 2018. We have learned several important strategies from previous years. The first is the importance of teamwork and communication. We are a small school and, by extension, a small team, which means collaborating and keeping each other informed is critical for us to complete an advanced project like that required for the CWC. The second is to thoroughly read the CWC Rules and Requirements to ensure we understand what we need to do to be successful in the competition.
We have divided our team into two subteams: Project Development and Turbine Design. Both of these subteams have a primary team lead as well as additional representatives in charge of groups within the subteams. Competing in the CWC counts as one major elective for students in the Project Development subteam who have participated for at least three semesters. Competing in the CWC serves as a capstone project for senior mechanical engineering members in the Turbine Design subteam. While juniors and underclassmen can participate in the competition, it serves as an extracurricular for no credit. Nevertheless, the competition provides a chance for them to grow as they progress to their senior year and assume leadership of the team.
Both our subteams offer opportunities for students from Cal Maritime’s seven majors to engage their strengths and build their skills, and we have seen increased participation in the CWC this year because of the lucrative, exciting career opportunities in the wind energy industry. To recruit new members, we have participated in club rushes and international environmental holidays, such as Clean Air Day and Earth Day.
From left: Kenny Shin, William Tucker, Andrew Cavinta, Miles Krauter, Mathew Rizzi, Will Laurent, Aaron Breitinger, Jacob Piña, Jake Nelson, and Tom Nordenholz.
Strategy
To reach deadlines and work collaboratively, we meet weekly to review each subteam's progress. We emphasize collaborative thinking, because outside perspectives on prospective designs can illuminate areas for improvement. We have also met with the 2020–2021 team leader to learn from his team’s previous hurdles and successes.
Follow Us
This content was submitted to the U.S. Department of Energy by the team. Find more information on CWC 2022.