Marketing & Communications
Division of University Relations and Development
News Release
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Contact: Renee Haines Joshua A. Chamot Tuesday, July 26, 2005 – Overcoming their individual disabilities to complete the 2005 Transpac, a grueling, 2,225-mile yacht race from California to Hawaii, the six members of the Challenged America team arrived in Honolulu Sunday evening at 23:31:50 local time. They had raced their yacht, the B'Quest, to a ranking of fourth in its class. B'Quest is the flagship of San Diego-based Challenged America, an organization founded by disabled Vietnam veterans to provide free sailing education and recreation rehabilitation programs to people with and without disabilities from around the world. A gift from a donor who wanted the vessel to be a part of this effort, the B'Quest has competed in many races, crewed by experienced sailors overcoming such obstacles as quadriplegia, paraplegia, neuromuscular disease, blindness and cancer. For the 2005 Transpac, the crew worked directly with mechanical engineering students at San Diego State University (SDSU), who provided the sailors special seats and fittings for the race. Sam Gloor, sailing coordinator for this year's Challenged America crew, praised both the students and the National Science Foundation, which supported their efforts through the Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons with Disabilities program. "The seats developed by the students at San Diego State performed flawlessly. Some of the crew simply could not have been effective without them," said Gloor, who was a member of the Challenged America crew in an earlier Transpac. For more information, see the San Diego State news release about the start of the Transpac race on July 11, 2005. B-roll of the crew, the race, and the SDSU engineering students who helped make this possible is available. Download high-resolution JPG images of the sailors. The National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering, with an annual budget of nearly $5.47 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 40,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes about 11,000 new funding awards. The NSF also awards over $200 million in professional and service contracts yearly. San Diego State University is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region. Since it was founded in 1897, the university has grown to offer bachelor’s degrees in 81 areas, master’s degrees in 72 areas and doctorates in 16 areas. SDSU’s nearly 33,000 students participate in an academic curriculum distinguished by direct faculty contact and an increasing international emphasis that prepares students for a global future. For more information, visit www.sdsu.edu. ### |
