The Wake

Adem Rudin is an okay-looking dude. His beard is trimmed, his hair under control. This is a fairly new development. When Rudin came to the U as a freshman he was overgrown and frightening, an intimidating beast of a man overflowing with hair in all directions. He struck onlookers as a man destined either for greatness or for a street corner with a hand-made sign. Rudin made the first step towards his destiny when he joined the UMN Solar Vehicle Project. But a step in which direction?

Rudin signed up for the solar car team in October of his freshman year. Although at first the work seemed a little abstract, when Rudin saw the car in action for the first time he knew that solar car was what he wanted to do. He threw himself into his work on the aerodynamics team, learning a lot more about practical engineering knowledge than he did in his classes. He did so well on the team that when they went to race in the 2006 World Solar Rally in Taiwan, he was one of the ten people picked to go and one of only three drivers. In Taiwan, Rudin went all-out, sometimes spending upwards of five hours in the car without stopping, once getting heat stroke. He came back as an International Racecar Driver. This experience, along with his continued dedication to the project, brought Rudin into what he describes as “a sort-of leadership position.”

“I know everything that’s going on with the aero team, and most of what’s going on with the other groups as well,” sys Rudin.

But then, tragedy struck! The Department of Energy dropped their funding of the Solar Vehicle Project’s primary race, the North American Solar Challenge. The organizers tried and failed to find new funding for the 2008 race.

“We assumed we were fucked,” says Rudin.

The solar car team was reluctantly cancelled at the beginning of August. It was devastating to the members of the team.

“Solar car really eats your life. At least half of my close friends are a direct result of solar car,” says Adem. “The car is completed on nights, weekends and vacations. For most of the people on the team, the list of priorities goes solar car, homework, social life.”

To have the activity that took up most of his free time since he came to college taken away from him was a startling transition for Adem, but he was just about used to it when word came at the beginning of September that Toyota had stepped up to fund the event. The solar car team is four months behind schedule, but they’re going into high gear to get their car done by the time of the race, and there’s a feeling of rejuvenation and even resurrection around the event.

Adem Rudin is an Aerospace Engineering junior, heavily involved in Capture the Flag, a biking enthusiast and a photographer. And regardless of what he may look like, he is a very nice man.