The University of Arizona Baja team is a team comprised of students from various fields of study who share a common interest in advancing their educational experience by incorporating hands on, applied education. The program has been at the university for a number of years however it has commonly been utilized by students as an engineering-specific senior design project. This year, however, the overall approach to the program has been reconsidered and emphasis has been placed on creating a continued education for everyone involved, rather than a singular design project.

     For the past 4 years, the Baja program has been small in number and engineering specific in the types of students brought into the project, pending its existence in a given year. Over the past four years the program was often utilized as a senior design project and in some years did not even take form.

     In the 2006-2007 school year, the program was restarted by a group of three sophomores with limited design and fabrication experience; yet they were able to put a car together with very limited means and compete in the national competition, placing 82nd overall. With two of the three original members leaving, and only two late recruits, the team's future was left questionable.

     With what little was left over of the team, two returning members set out to try and revive the organization with the vision of taking it from a singular team and transforming it into a successful and educational program. After three months of tireless effort to not only recruit, but also to acquire new program partners, the two founding members were able to recruit a record number of students, surprising even the team's advisor. More importantly, through a shift in team culture so as to embrace and encourage learning and involvement on behalf of all members, new and old, the program achieved an unprecedented 90% retention rate among its recruits. With roughly $6000 in acquired funding in addition to various materials donations, the 2007-2008 Baja team developed a brand new, previously never before seen design concept. With the help of program partners and collective knowledge, the team was able to fabricate the design and fund a trip for every member to go the national competition. Though expensive and risky, with only a single member of the team ever having been to the national competition and funds all but expended, it became imperative to get as many new members out to competition so as to expose them to the experience.

     The premise of the Baja team is to apply engineering principles and processes in designing a versatile and capable off road vehicle. There is a substantial amount of work for which the team is entirely responsible, especially if the program and design are to be successful.

     At the beginning of the year, returning members conduct classroom visitations in order to raise awareness of the team among their peers in hopes of acquiring new recruits and sparking interest. Concurrently and throughout the year the team is responsible for seeking out potential partners, as the materials and financial needs of the program are not insignificant.

     Recently, there has been a shift in team culture so as to incite into its members a sense of community and educational involvement. Given the significant campaign on the national educational level to encourage students to pursue technical and scientific oriented education, the Baja team decided to embrace this idea and thus use the program as a means of stirring interest in the field. In the fall of 2007, the Baja team conducted school visitations and tours of the shop out of which it works to reach out to the community and induce a sense of enthusiasm for technical education. The target audiences of these events ranged from elementary to high school and even college students.

     Due to the feedback and thanks received on behalf of the educators and students the team reached out to, the 2008-2009 team schedule has been designed to include an even more intensive outreach effort. With unprecedented recruitment and retention rates last year, the team has the manpower to reach out to even more schools and student groups. Such student groups are to include: local high schools, middle schools and elementary schools; Women In Science and Engineering (WISE); and the Joint Technical Educational District (JTED) to name a few.

     In regards to the design concepts for future vehicles, the UA Baja team has vowed that it will continue to push the limits of design and incorporate stunning and unique features. The field at the 2008 competition was struck at the sight of this year's vehicle, frequently stopping and looking intently and curiously at the design because it was so unique. The vehicle was the only one of a 120-car field to feature four wheel independent suspension, rear swing arms, front torsion assembly and a utility truck bed to list a few. The vehicle was one of 31 out of the entire field to finish the endurance race and one of even fewer vehicles to complete all dynamic events. Placing 33rd overall, the UA Baja team accomplished an unprecedented feat by jumping roughly 50 placements in one year; couple that with unparalleled recruitment and retention rates along with community activism and the result is the beginnings of a program that will continue to raise the bar year after year.