Comment Re:So what? (Score 1) 233
Good point. No, it is not newsworthy. This headline is the equivalent of "CS student learns how to use buffer overflow" or "biochemistry student learns how to replicate DNA."
But it makes perfect sense when you realize who is behind what is currently the biggest Super Mileage competition in North America: Shell. And last year the Shell Eco-Marathon was not 5 miles from Cal Poly Pomona. I believe 1st place is $10,000.
As you might expect Shell makes sure that media outlets hear about this kind of stuff. They actually send the teams registering for the competition questionnaires essentially asking them to say something interesting for a potential story.
Gullibility of the media aside, it's still a great project for students and hey, at least Shell *seems* to care about fuel efficiency.