Twenty-six freshman teams competed in UNL's annual Incredible, Edible Vehicle Competition on Dec. 10 in the East Union's Great Plains Room.
The event featured students in Dennis Schulte's introductory biological systems and agricultural engineering class building and racing edible cars. Schulte, a professor of biological systems engineering, started the competition several years ago to foster teamwork among his students.
The cars were made entirely of food and nothing else. Students then had to eat the car at the end of the competition.
Teams rolled the cars down a sloped track to see which one traveled farthest and stayed in one piece. The top three teams received a certificate. Teams also created a poster detailing the process of making the car.
Evan Curtis, student services coordinator for the Department of Biological Systems Engineering, organized the event, which was part of E-Day, an annual day for engineers.
Curtis said there are always many unique designs using a variety of products each year. Vegetables, sausage, cheese and candy are just a few of the materials students use in making the cars. With the addition of a 1,300-calorie limit, the vehicles this year were expected to be healthier than ever before, Curtis said.
Several alumni came to show their support in the form of a mini-career fair. Also in attendance were 19 senior instrumentation posters.
The Department of Biological Systems Engineering is jointly in the College of Engineering and the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, which is a part of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.