Racing against approximately 1,500 students from 133 schools in the 2004 Society of Automotive Engineers Formula competition at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich., CSUN's Formula SAE (Matador Motorsports) placed first among the competing schools in California.

Under the guidance of Northridge mechanical engineering professor Stewart Prince, the team was composed of three electrical engineering students and 12 mechanical engineering students. They designed and manufactured the cars, then competed in nine events including cost, sales presentation, engineering design and presentation, acceleration, autocross and a 22-kilometer endurance race with fuel economy.

The students had to submit a design report and cost report by deadline, pass a rigorous vehicle inspection, as well as tilt, sound and brake tests to qualify for the competition, said Prince.

"I consider this semester to be the best year yet," Prince said. "I've been involved with this event since 1985. [This is the] most professional team I've ever worked with."

The design, construction and racing of the car are part of a two-semester culmination senior project that emulates the industry, Prince said. Dedicating 5,000 hours in nine months to this project, the students had to raise funds, juggle their other classes, cut back their work hours, reconcile interpersonal conflicts and drive 2,500 miles to the competition.

"The goal is to provide students with a hands-on work experience prior to graduation," Prince said. "The students learn professionalism, the ability to work as a team, to follow...budgets and to submit reports and paperwork on time."

"Most of our students who work on this project end up with jobs in the engineering field. About 20 percent go into automotive engineering. Some even work for race teams," Prince said.

Below are the results of the 2004 FSAE competition:

Event	Placement
Acceleration	8th
Autocross	9th
Cost	5th
Design	48th
Endurance-Economy	17th
Powertrain Award	3rd
Presentation	12th
Skidpad	14th
Overall	14th

"We beat schools like MIT, Brown University, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and about 120 other schools from around the world," Prince said. "It shows us the quality of the students we have here. It's not where you come from, it's who you are."

Cal State Northridge's College of Engineering and Computer Science is home to several nationally recognized programs where students gain valuable hands-on experience working alongside faculty members and industry professionals on cutting-edge research.

California State University, Northridge has 33,000 full- and part-time students and offers 61 bachelor's and 42 master's degrees as well as 28 education credential programs. Founded in 1958, it is the only four-year university in the San Fernando Valley and the fourth largest in the 23-campus CSU system. The university serves as the intellectual, economic and cultural heart of the Valley and beyond.