Yale Daily News
Published Wednesday, December 13, 2000

Team Lux gets $50,000 loan, renovated space

By Katharine Critchlow
Contributing Reporter

Yale has displayed Team Lux's solar cars on
the cover of the brochure for the engineering
program and on the streets of New Haven at
the recent tercentennial celebration, but in the
past week the University matched its
enthusiasm for the student solar car team with
extensive financial support.

Through the combined efforts of the team's business group and the Yale administration, Team
Lux will finally have space in which to complete the construction of its solar cars in Wright
Nuclear Structure Labs.

Begun in 1995, Team Lux is an independent group of undergraduates who design, build and race
solar-powered cars. In the past five years, they have built two cars and have competed in
Sunrayce '97 and '99. But after a meeting with Yale President Richard Levin last Monday, team
members said they feared that space and funding limitations would put an end to their work.

"We're not exaggerating when we say that it meant we wouldn't have been able to assemble the
car," said Andrew Lin '03, the leader of the car team's frame group.

While Levin denied the team funding last Monday, later in the week the administration
recognized Team Lux's importance by agreeing to fund a $50,000 loan that the team must repay
within the next five years.

"We were just about to give up, and then [Dean of Engineering Paul] Fleury told us Yale was
going to give us the money," team member Regina Sieber '02 said. "In the end they just decided
it was really important."

Construction on WNSL is set to begin immediately so that Team Lux will be able to finish
building its third car in time for its next race this summer, the American Solar Challenge 2001.

Until this year, Team Lux has worked in Mason Garage, but because assembly requires the use
of noxious chemicals that interfere with ventilation, the team was forced to find a new
workspace.

Since the past summer, members of the team's business group have been working to find new
space. In early November, administrators authorized the use of WNSL space with the
understanding that it would cost $50,000 in renovation to make it usable.

"Right now it's a long tunnel that is unheated, poorly lit and without a door," Lin said.

Team members said they assumed Yale would fund the renovations.

"We wanted them to pay for it because it is their space and because we give so much publicity
for Yale," Sieber said.

But last week, Levin informed the team's business group that they would need to fund the
renovations themselves.

"Levin basically told us to go to the development office and try to raise money from alumni,"
Business Manager Thomas Leung '03 said.

But team members said their contribution to Yale is significant enough to warrant funding -- and
the University finally agreed.

"We are, bar none, the only flagship student engineering program," said Maro Sciacchitano '03,
body group leader for the team.

Fleury said administrators wanted to help Team Lux because they value the students' work.

"We wanted to show our support for the students and the visibility they provide to our
engineering program, not only to encourage Team Lux but to stimulate greater student and
faculty participation in similar activities in the future," Fleury wrote in an e-mail.

Team members said they are grateful to Fleury and the administration.

"We're very happy now that this new space has come through for us," Lin said. "It makes the
process much more enjoyable because we will have a dedicated space."

Copyright © 2001 Yale Daily News. All rights reserved.