CSU Engineers Rowed with a Mission

Rowing their way down to the Florida Keys from a river Henry Hudson first traveled, two Cleveland State students, senior Jon Hauserman and graduate Tom Kotula took their engineering backgrounds out of the classroom and put them into practice. Formerly on the Crew Team at Cleveland State, the student and the graduate converted an old sail boat into a vessel worthy of completing the 2,000 mile journey around waterways and an ocean. The boat the two constructed, complete with a solar panel attachment, allowed the duo to eventually reach their destination and build houses for Habitat for Humanity along the way. After an already extensive amount of media exposure (CBS Evening News already filmed a piece on the duo), The Cauldron recently contacted Hauserman, who agreed to answer questions about his journey, his background and his work this past summer.

Q: What inspired you to embark on your journey?

A: Tom Kotula had originally started thinking of some kind of rowing trip that involved a section of the intracoastal waterway. There was also the idea of going to South America to do mission work. He wanted to take a leave of absence at work to pursue his interests of rowing, traveling and volunteering. He told me about his ideas and I said that if he ever actually did something like that, I would dedicate a summer and come along. Having very similar interests we began bouncing ideas off of each other and things just started falling into place! Actual planning of the trip began mid October 2008.

Q: How did your background in Engineering at Cleveland State contribute to your experience?

A: CSU's Engineering background allowed me to use tools like Solidworks, a 3D modeling software that we tested our outrigger design to check for weaknesses. There was a lot of geometry that we had to do to correctly place all of the rowing components, and having a good math base helped make it easy. Well, kind of.

Q: It isn't often that CSU students appear on national media outlets. What effects did the CBS Evening News story have on your recognition?

A: First, I am amazed at how many friends and family have told me they saw me on TV. They were watching the show just to see Tom and me. I did not even know it was going to be on that night until Tom called me about an hour before. Anyways, I'm not really sure about the recognition. It is very cool to have been on the National news, and it really shot up the number of people visiting our website and sending e-mails.

Q: You used a solar panel on your boat. What are your attitudes toward green energy and future engineers who seek to promote it?

A: I think "Green Energy" is great! I would love to be involved in that aspect of engineering in my career, and see everyone incorporate it in what they do. We used the solar panel mostly for convenience, due to not always having a place to charge up at. But it was a great way to showcase a mostly simple way of living.

Q: What did you think about the historical context of passage you went by on your journey?

A: We are not huge history buffs, but we loved going through the Erie Canal, and down the Hudson. We were able to learn a little bit about both as we traveled. On the Hudson we spent some time at West Point and saw the actual chain used to stop the British as they tried to make there way up the Hudson. And the coincidence of this being the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson exploring the area was really great.

Q: What would you say to other students who hope to get involved the same way you have?

A: Do it! Tom and I sacrificed a lot of sleep, time with loved ones, and some money here and there, but the things we received from this trip are absolutely worth it. The entire experience was incredibly beneficial. We met so many great people, made many memories, and were able to see what makes our country so great first hand.