Georgia Tech student Philip Timm testing the team's sailboard in preparation for the Energy Challenge 2002 competition.

This cross-section shows the paperboard and paperboard tubes used in contruction of the sailboard.

The team with their board: Philip Timm, Gonzalo Stabile, and Yianni Ellis (left-right)

Seven teams competed for the prize. The winning team from Georgia Tech, composed of mechanical engineering students Gonzalo Stabile (team captain), Philip Timm, and Yianni Ellis, finished ahead of second and third-place teams from Miami University of Ohio and the University of Maine. This was no minor feat. Even though the Tech sailboard, piloted by veteran windsurfer Philip Timm, almost collided with an errant houseboat blocking his way and churning up the water on the lake, it still managed to win two of three races. A few boats had to paddle back to shore after taking on water partway into the race, and another board buckled in the middle and sank in the second race. The Tech sailboard was the only completely recyclable board to make it through the entire day of competition.

Building the boats took an enormous amount of time, energy, and creativity. The Georgia Tech team worked about eight hours a week for four months to create several versions of their sailboard, in addition to keeping up with their rigorous engineering courses for the term. Putting in ten to twelve hours on a Saturday was not unusual for this team. The finished sailboard was 100 percent recyclable, and constructed entirely of paperboard and paperboard tubes, the kind usually used for mailing. Commonly used paper additives were used for finishing and bonding, and the waterproofing came from a recyclable waterproofing product that they used all over the surface of the board. The sail and fins were the only parts not made from paper. They used no power tools in the construction of the board, and used only 3 percent non-paper materials.

Team member Yianni Ellis recalls numerous meetings of the team to consider any and all forces interacting with the boat at various locations on the hull. They used their engineering backgrounds to examine these forces and determine the appropriate shape, materials, and supports to build a competitive boat. Using computer software to model the boat helped them determine the correct shape for their design.

The proud Georgia Tech team with their $15,000 check: Gonzalo Stabile, Philip Timm, Pulp and Paper Engineering Professor Jeffery S. Hsieh, and Yianni Ellis (left-right).

The team members were both surprised and shocked to place first in the overall competition. They had been so focused on building and racing their "awesome board" that they had not given much thought to the prize money. The team received about half of the $15,000 prize in the form of scholarships. The rest of the money went to support pulp and paper programs at Georgia Tech.

Now engineering students all over the country are getting ready for Energy Challenge 2003 this spring: an all-paper hang glider competition!

For more information on paper boats and the Energy Challenge 2002 Paper Sailboard Competition:

Tech MEs Sail to $15,000 Victory
Georgia Tech Engineering Students to Windsurf Sailboard Made From Paper in Race for $15,000
Energy Challenge 2003 – Paper Hang Glider Competition
Georgia Tech Students Ride the Waves on Paper Sailboard, Win Energy Challenge
Energy Challenge 2002 – Powerpoint Presentation
Georgia Tech Team Sails to Win $15,000 in ‘Paper Board’ Contest – Atlanta Journal-Constitution 04-07-02,
page C-1

Meet Kelley Mandracchia, future paper scientist
We hope you will encourage students interested in math and science to consider a career in the pulp and paper industry. The industry is a vital part of our nation’s economy, ranking as the fifth largest manufacturing industry in the country, and a world leader in recycling. Students in many paper science and engineering programs take advantage of paid co-op programs, summer internships, scholarships, and nearly 100 percent job placement with salaries frequently starting at $50,000 per year for undergraduates. Career choices range from manufacturing, process and design engineering, chemical engineering, project engineering, research and product development, forestry, technical sales and marketing, and many more.

Many people may know little, if anything, about paper manufacturing. We asked Kelley Mandracchia, a senior at North Carolina State University and winner of numerous TAPPI scholarships, what attracted her to the study of paper, and why she is making it her career:

Kelley Mandracchia, TAPPI scholarship winner from NCSU.

"At first, I didn't even know the paper industry existed. When I was in high school my dad used to put articles on my bed about careers in chemical engineering. He wanted me to go to college to get a meaningful degree, one that I could get a good job in. I loved chemistry and math, so I said 'what the heck' and applied to NC State for engineering. Half way through my senior year of high school, I got a letter from the Pulp and Paper Foundation telling me that if I switched to the Pulp and Paper program I could get two degrees along with a scholarship. I think it took me about five seconds to decide that pulp and paper was the way to go. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Where else do you have the chance to work on machines the size of football fields that run upwards of 4,000 feet per minute?

"One of the major reasons I am choosing the paper industry is the people. Everyone I have met has been there to support me and to help me when I've needed it. Although the industry is made up of many different companies, it is similar to a large family. And there are lots of jobs available, even in today's tough economic conditions. At least half of the graduates in NC State's Pulp and Paper program already had multiple job offers before the first semester was even complete!

"I have already worked for Bowater at their Catawba, South Carolina, mill where they make coated paper and newsprint, and I spent two summers with Kimberly-Clark. The best thing about these jobs was that I was treated as an engineer, and I was not asked to make coffee or run little errands! I was given a great deal of responsibility from the get-go, and was expected to get results. The pay was very good compared to most summer jobs. There were times I was making four times what my friends were making as lifeguards at the local pool; plus, I was advancing my career!

"For students exploring career options, my advice is to just make sure you do something you think you will enjoy, but be realistic. Not everyone can be a marketing agent, journalist, or newscaster. If you are going to college, pick a major that you can get a good job in; it makes life a lot easier after graduation. Be open to change, and try not to turn down opportunities. I hope that you will consider a career in the pulp and paper industry!"