UBC Engineering Students Leave Their Hearts and a Red VW Bug in San Francisco.
<br><br>

Canadian Engineering Students are back home safe and sound today after suspending a VW Bug 
<br>from the Golden Gate Bridge.
<br><br>

February 6, 2001 -- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
<br><br>

After suspending a VW Bug from the Golden Gate Bridge yesterday, the team of UBC Engineering 
<br>students has successfully returned home to the University of British Columbia today.  The Golden Gate 
<br>Project is the highest profile student-organized project in the history of Engineering Week at UBC.
<br><br>

Yesterday's well-publicized event boost-started Engineering Week on the UBC campus.  Classrooms 
<br>buzzed with excitement as news of the team's successful project spread from student to student.  
<br>While rumours abound about who the team members are, their feat is generating interest both on campus 
<br>and in the general population about engineering.  The excitement is adding momentum to the already well-
<br>known "E-Week" events, and energizing more students to participate in an "E-Week" many will never forget.  
<br><br>

In a timely greeting, the Prime Minister of Canada, HRH Jean Chretien, officially opened the first 
<br>National Engineering Week of the millenium
across Canada yesterday.  Prime Minister Chretien invites 
<br>students across the country to strive to achieve excellence in science and technology with
the theme 
<br>"Engineering - Anything's Possible" (Read the Prime Minister's greeting in English or French on-line at 
<br>www.new-sng.com.)
<br><br>

The UBC team reportedly enjoyed their brief visit to the Golden Gate and the spectacular view of the Bay 
<br>and expressed a desire to return to San Francisco for a longer tour.  The weary students' also regretted not 
<br>having time to shop for souvenirs at Pier 69 or go sailing on the Bay.
<br><br>


The Golden Gate Project was carried out early in the morning of February 5, 2001.  A team of engineering 
<br>students from the University of British Columbia suspended the shell of a stripped-down VW Bug under the 
<br>Golden Gate Bridge.  The bright "Engineering Red" Bug hung almost perfectly centred under the bridge deck 
<br>for about four hours before being cut down 
by a trained bridge crew.
<br><br>

<u>How They Did It</u>:
<br><br>

The team of UBC Engineering students drove onto the bridge around 03:30PST and unloaded the shell of a 
<br>vintage VW Bug.  The shell had been stripped of all wheels, glass, and drive train to lighten the load to around 
<br>200 pounds and prevent any pollution.  The Bug was painted "Engineering Red", the traditional colour of 
<br>the UBC Engineers, with a white letter "E" on the doors and a Canadian flag displayed on the 
roof.  
<br><br>

The UBC team attached a carefully designed cable system along the underside of the Golden Gate Bridge 
<br>and lifted the Bug over the rail onto a short harness on the non-commuter side of the bridge.  The UBC team 
<br>
then carefully lowered the Bug below the bridge.  The Bug slid gently to the centre of the cable, midway under 
<br>the bridge deck about 100 feet above the water and 200 feet below the bridge, where it hung for 4 hours.
<br><br>

Once the UBC team had cleared the bridge, they set their publicity plan in motion.  San Francisco and Vancouver 
<br>papers, radio and TV stations were contacted, beginning with San Francisco news station KRON TV and their 
<br>traffic helicopter so the incident would be reported to bridge commuters first.  
<br><br>

Curious onlookers tried to see what evoked the large number of police on the bridge, however, the Bug was 
<br>only visible from areas below bridge height.  Although US Coast Guard officials expressed irritation for having to 
<br>reroute some shipping traffic around the Bug, Bridge Ironworkers were impressed by the design of the cable 
<br>system.  Official bridge spokesperson
Mary Currie grudgingly admitted that, having removed all the hazardous 
<br>(and heavy) materials from the vehicle before suspending it, the students
appeared to know what they were doing.
<br><br>

The engineering students operated in high secrecy, planning, designing and organizing the trip that culminated with 
<br>the unveiling of the Bug under the Golden Gate Bridge.  Both University officials and the Engineering Undergraduate 
<br>Society were kept in the dark.  While UBC discourages these unofficial student projects, UBC Engineering students 
<br>continue to carry their message off campus.  UBC Engineering students have been inspired by projects dating back 
<br>to 1982 (reported erroneously as 1981 in the initial release) when the first red VW Bug was spotted hanging 
<br>from the Lion's Gate Suspension Bridge in Vancouver, Canada.
<br><br>

The Bug, a calling card to attract attention to professional engineering and UBC, has been seen in papers and on 
<br>stations around the world.  Press
releases spanned the globe, with front page coverage from Seattle, Washington to
<br>Sydney, Australia.  Reports are still being received at UBC from papers as far as South Africa and television coverage 
<br>on major
networks including CBS and CNN.
<br><br>

Although the fog later obscured the Bug from view, some striking images of this well-executed project were taken 
<br>by local San Francisco photographer Craig Lee (SF Chronicle).
<br><br>

At 8:10PST, a crew of trained bridge workers cut through the strapping that held the Bug in place and the bug dropped 
<br>to the bottom of the harbour entrance where it will become a small part of the local habitat.
<br><br><br>


<u>Background</u>
<br><br>

The University of British Columbia is in Vancouver, Canada on the west coast of North America about 200 miles north 
<br>of Seattle Washington.  The UBC campus lies within the 4300-acre Pacific Spirit Regional Park. UBC campus is located 
<br>on Point Grey, overlooking a natural vista spanning the Coastal Mountain range and the scenic Gulf Islands.  UBC first 
<br>opened in
1915.  There are currently about 35,000 students, supported by over 13,000 faculty and staff, at UBC.  
<br>For more information on UBC, visit their website at www.ubc.ca.
<br><br>

The UBC Engineering program offers intensive learning opportunities for students with high academic standings and the 
<br>desire to achieve excellence, and includes co-operative work experiences to apply theories learned in the classroom in 
<br>meaningful ways.
<br><br>

UBC Engineering students belong to the UBC Engineering Undergraduate Society, which can be reached for 
<br>comments at (604)822-3818.
<br><br><br>


(issued at Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
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