Our Crowdfunding Groups
What is Baja SAE?
The Baja Collegiate Design Series is a competition, organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers, that challenges engineering students to design and build an off-road vehicle. At competition, each team races in a four hour endurance race that pushes every vehicle to its limits. Baja SAE gives students the opportunity to pursue their passion and challenges them to meet real-life demands and priorities. With your donation, our team will be able to build a car to compete in this competition and connect with over 3,700 students during the 3 international competitions during the 2018-2019 school year.
Who are we?
Northwestern University Baja, founded in 1988, is simultaneously the oldest and newest car team on campus. Since our 2011 revitalization, we’ve built and raced five cars. In this time our team has grown from 3 members to 35. Last year, we attended four competitions: we've raced in blizzard-like conditions in the UP, under stadium lights at midnight in Kentucky, in the backwoods of Wisconsin, and in the hills and valleys of Maryland.
Our mission is to enrich the Northwestern experience through the production of a competitive off-road racing vehicle by inspiring creative automotive design, forging marketable leadership and technical skills, and building a close-knit engineering community. We're not just a car team -- we are a family. We foster an environment of cooperative learning and support for each member and the greater Northwestern community. Your donations will help us not only build a car but also support the development of the next generation of engineers.
Project overview:
Our team designs and builds a new car every year, while also redesigning components on our older vehicles. This gives us a fantastic, hands-on way to learn product design and development -- from individual component design to complete vehicle assembly -- allowing us to put what we learn in the classroom into practice. We build nearly everything on our car in house, including the frame, gearbox, seat, and pedals. This also allows us to develop technical skills such as CAD, FEA analysis, CNC programming and operation, and welding. Many join our team with no knowledge in any of these fields. However, through training and mentorship, everyone graduates an expert. Nearly every project on our team is individual, giving members a unique sense of ownership and responsibility.
How you can help:
Like any group, we need money to run. We have an enormous project and we need your support throughout every stage. Our car is not cheap -- take our gearbox for example. The raw aluminum used for its housing costs $450. Including the cost of sourcing gears, manufacturing shafts, and tooling, the cost quickly adds up to over $1,500! In the past, our success as a team has been hindered by a tight budget, preventing us from building and implementing innovative designs. We’re hoping you can change that. Every dollar counts!
Our goal:
We hope to raise more than $2,500 through your generous support. This helps cover the cost of raw material for parts, tooling, training, and competition. We sincerely appreciate anything you can contribute.
Let’s build a car!
These are the things that literally hold our car together!
Fuel keeps our car moving! We use the same fuel you put in your lawnmower or car. Also a special shout out to the seniors aka the class of 2019! The extra 19 cents will keep us going a little bit longer!
Our team uses data acquisition to capture and track a car's performance. This data is then used to build a better car next year!
Competitions are where we showcase all of our hard work! Competitions include both business and engineering presentations, along with our car competing in various dynamic events that culminate in a 4 hour long endurance race. Your help will continue to allow us to attend these events and showcase Northwestern Engineering.
Sheet Metal is used in numerous parts of our car. It is also used to train new members in machining. Your contribution will help us train 10 new members or finish a large sheet metal competent like our firewall.
Carbon Fiber is known for extreme lightness and strength; for that reason, it's a great material to use for our car! With each passing year, we're increasing the amount of carbon fiber we use, and this will ensure we can continue doing just that!
We use large bricks of aluminum to machine various components of our car, including our gearbox housing. The costs add up fast! This contribution will ensure we can build our pedals, hubs, uprights, and steering rack!
Our entire frame is built from certified steel tubing to ensure the car's safety. The frame is the building block of our entire car, and without it, we wouldn't exist. This contribution will ensure that we will have a frame and will be able to build a car!
