ASC Takes Second Place in National BUV Competition

The Alfred State College BUV Team overcame enormous adversity and achieved a second-place finish in the Ninth Annual National Basic Utility Vehicle Competition.  

A BUV is, according to the Institute for Affordable Transportation (IAT) which sponsors the competition, a vehicle for change.  Its purpose is to help meet peoples' everyday needs at the ends of the earth, promote trade, and reduce poverty at a grassroots level. 

The second-place finish was remarkable in light of the fact that the team suffered two potentially catastrophic failures.  The team blew a universal joint at the start of the endurance test which was the only event of the first day of the competition.  The vehicle that towed the BUV back to the pit area pulled the vehicle at such a severe angle that the front wheel and its hydraulic drive motor were torn from the BUV.  Despite this adversity the team worked until 10:15 that night to repair and realign the u-joint and rebuild the front end without the hydraulic drive.  Even without the front wheel drive, the BUV was able to complete every event in the competition and was the only BUV to negotiate the last event of the competition, the formidable Mud Pit.

John Brown University scored 72.25 to take first place honors in the MAIN Division.  ASC finished second with 71.82 points ahead of third place University of Missouri at 70.58.  JBU was fourth last year to the ASC Team that won with a record 94.05 points.  The specifications for the MAIN Division are changed every year.

Members of the ASC Basic Utility Vehicle (BUV) Team included:  Rob Roth, Castleton; Corey Kane, Jamestown; Matt Lemmon, Waverly; Greg Geens, Canisteo; and Aaron Neyman, Cattaraugus; seniors in the mechanical engineering technology bachelor of science degree program.  Dr. Edward G. Tezak, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology, and Ray Gleason, instructional support technician, School of Engineering Technology, escorted the BUV Team to Indianapolis in April. 

The ASC Team finished second in the MAIN Division of the competition as well as third overall including those in the OPEN division.  A total of 15 teams were entered in the annual event. 

Turf Torq Corp., supplier of the transaxles, and YANMAR, the parent company and supplier of the diesel engines, both international companies, were title sponsors of this year's competition.  They donated their wares to IAT which were available to the colleges and universities for the cost of the freight. 

The Institute for Affordable Transportation (IAT), a not-for-profit public charity, sponsors the annual intercollegiate Basic Utility Vehicle (BUV) Competition in Indianapolis to help facilitate the low-cost development of simple, appropriate vehicles for rural economies.  Each year the specifications are changed to meet a requirement from a different developing country.

Alfred State College, a member of the technology college sector within the State University of New York (SUNY) system, offers outstanding educational opportunities for students in its nearly 52 associate degree programs, 17 baccalaureate degree programs, and several certificate programs. ASC continues to expand its online education offerings to include more than 56 online courses as well as two complete curriculum options (health information technology and court and realtime reporting). Numerous vocational-technical offerings stressing hands-on learning are available at the School of Applied Technology Campus located in nearby Wellsville, NY. The College is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, and several programs are also accredited or approved by program-specific professional organizations. The College is located in Alfred, NY, a scenic village in Allegany County, 15 miles north of the Pennsylvania border, 70 miles south of Rochester, and 90 miles southeast of Buffalo.