Campus briefs

Aerospace Innovation Competition winners announced

The Aerospace Innovation Competition has come to an end, with team B.E.A.R. emerging as the overall victors, winning a $2000 prize.

The competition, which consisted of three challenges, came to a close on Nov. 18 with the third challenge and awards ceremony.

The first challenge involved tracking a satellite as it passed overhead, and then decoding a message.

The second challenge was to create a short video that promoted NASA. These videos, one coming from each of the six teams, were submitted to Youtube.com for global viewing.

The third challenge consisted of a modified egg drop. The teams were required to launch their eggs from the ground, and over a bar that had been hoisted into the air. They also had to ensure, like in all egg drops, that the egg remained unbroken after its flight through the air.

The means of getting the eggs safely over the bar varied widely, from catapults to air cannons, some working out more successfully than others.

In order to keep the eggs intact, one of the groups used the shell of a basketball, filled with padding, to keep their egg from spilling its contents.

The majority of the eggs broke, but there were a few that still had their fragile shells undamaged after their flight.

A reception was held after the third challenge was finished. Teams were able to mingle with faculty and representatives from local aerospace businesses from Santa Clara, while enjoying a selection of appetizers and desserts.

It was at this reception that the overall winners for the competition were announced, and the videos created by the teams for the second competition were shown.

The winning team, B.E.A.R., which stands for Business and Engineering Alliance for Research, included Jose Alberto Rosales, Christian Zempel, Alex Fischer, Zachary Walkerlieb and Brittan Grace, and Collin Lee.

Student robbed near campus

A male student was robbed Dec. 2 on The Alameda, near Bellarmine Hall.

At approximately 10:30 p.m. the student was walking back from a fast food restaurant when he was threatened by two individuals; no weapon was involved.

The student gave up the backpack he was wearing after being threatened twice.

Students were notified of the event through an university-wide e-mail. The e-mail also provided safety tips on how to avoid being robbed.

"Students are reminded to always use caution when walking off-campus during darkness," Campus Safety Director Charles Arolla said in the e-mail.

The suspects were described as two white males and approximately 6 ft. tall. They both reportedly wore dark clothing.

This instance was preceded by a similar robbery on Nov. 7 within the same area.

At 8 p.m., another student was robbed of his backpack by two suspects who were described as African-American, male and wearing dark clothing.

During this robbery, one of the suspects brandished a gun.

Both incidents were reported to the Santa Clara Police Department. Campus Safety requested SCPD step up patrol in this area.

From staff reports. E-mail news@thesantaclara.com.