Circuit Breakers: Seidenberg Holds the Pleasantville Grand Prix

If you were within earshot of the Goldstein Academic Center on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, you likely heard a lot of cheering and whooping at around 2:30pm. It was on this day and at this time that Seidenberg held its first ever Pleasantville Grand Prix, Seidenberg’s spin on the traditional car races we watch on TV. Led by Computer Science Professor, Dr. Matthew Ganis, this event was loads of fun and is sure to become an annual event on the Pleasantville campus.

The concept for the Grand Prix was born from the desire to create engaging programs that would appeal to a wide range of student interests. “Seidenberg students love a challenge,” notes Dr. Ganis, “and we wanted to come up with a way to reach students seeking to expand both their hardware skills as well as their programming skills.” The decision was made to use robot cars as the vehicle (pun intended) for this experience.

Like other Grand Prixes, Seidenberg’s event spanned multiple days. There was a kickoff event at which student teams, or ‘pit crews,’ received their disassembled car kits and began the construction phase. Next, crews got together to fine-tune their assembly and to begin programming. Throughout the process, students were able to share their own expertise as well as learn from their peers. “The complementary strengths of each of the participants made the event and experience that much more fun” shares Dr. Ganis.

The final event included races between the cars, as well as performance trials for individual cars. Points were awarded based on the car’s speed and its ability to remain on a predetermined track. After several heats of races, and lots of cheers from peers and professors on the sidelines, a clear winner (Car #1) emerged. In addition to earning bragging rights, the team who built the winning car will also have their name on a flag that will hang prominently and proudly in the Seidenberg Lounge.

And cars were not the only things built throughout this process, as relationships were also forged. Students on the same team, many of whom were strangers before this event, are now bonded by a shared experience of teamwork and camaraderie. In addition, students got a chance to work with and learn from one of their professors outside the classroom. So, although only one car could be named the champion, all who participated were winners!