[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7493]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE WINNERS OF THE SIXTH ANNUAL ENERGY CHALLENGE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 22, 2004

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the winners 
of the sixth annual Energy Challenge which took place April 4 at Winter 
Park, Colorado. Fourteen teams of engineering students from colleges 
and universities across the country competed for awards for designing, 
constructing and racing snowboards constructed entirely from paper. The 
winning team was Miami University with a total score of 88.8. The 
team's board measured 83 percent paper fiber.
  The Energy Challenge is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's 
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the American Forest and Paper 
Association, and Institute of Paper Science and Technology at Georgia 
Tech. It is designed to help the pulp and paper industry, one of the 
most energy intensive industries in the U.S., reach the goal of 
creating an energy efficient manufacturing process by the year 2020.
  The contest rules required the snowboards to be made of at least 80 
percent paper fiber. The total score was based on factors such as best 
snowboard performance, gross weight, materials composition, board 
volume, compressive strength, aesthetics, novelty of design, and 
written reports. The teams also participated in a slalom race that 
included rollers and a rail slide.
  The winning Miami University team members included: Margaret Huseman, 
Den Van Lear, Colleen O'Donnell, Michael Loufman and Joel Hahn. The 
team engineered their snowboard with materials such as chemical wood 
fiber, corrugated board and liner board. They cleverly used a Formica 
finish, which has 75 percent paper content, on the bottom of the board 
to improve its gliding ability on the snow. The second place winner was 
the Savannah College of Art and Design and Pasadena City College 
finished third overall.
  The Congressional Ski and Snowboard Caucus sees the Energy Challenge 
as a great example of how public-private partnerships can bring 
together ideas like energy efficiency, outdoor recreation and fitness 
in order to create a more sustainable and healthy world. The caucus is 
interested in promoting skiing and snowboarding to encourage fitness 
and create an appreciation for the environment. The Energy Challenge 
demonstrates that through greater use of renewable materials, we can 
create jobs, protect the environment, and make our nation more energy 
independent.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in congratulating these 
teams and honoring their creativity and innovation.

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