" sounds like fun, maybe educational - if these engineering students ever intend to build cars from food. very green that would be. however, wouldn't this project serve a better purpose if the food was donated to the local food bank instead of tooling it into cars? "

" Money to burn... "

" You know, there are people in this world who are starving! "

" how about a peanut butter cookie baked in to a car with jelly bean headlights and oreo tires with candy cane axles? Yum. "

" What a HUGE waste of time and resources. "

" To all of you complaining here.......it really is true that you'd complain if hung with a new rope or if the sun comes up in the east (yes, think about that one). There is nothing in this story that says who pays for the materials to make the cars, etc. You've made assumptions about something you know nothing about and have to complain instead of thinking of the challenges involved in this process which in turn may lead to these students thinking outside of the box to solve all the problems you just sit here and talk about. "

" hows it a waste when they have 2 eat it at the end? "

" Learning needs to be fun! "

" This may sound like children playing with food, but it's a lot more than that...and it doesn't exactly cost very much for the materials.

It's a good, fun project for future engineers to practice creative thinking and engineering problem solving with unconventional materials in a competitive environment.

How fast the teams can eat the cars is part of the competition, so none of the food goes to waste.

You should go check it out, it's fun. "

" i agree that this sounds like a lot of fun, though i expected the article to be about an elementary school.
perhaps i'll make this a project for my kids. "

" This may be a great educational tool for middle school students but for college students paying a fortune for their education...come on. Sounds like something the boy scout troop should be doing. "

" Cars & obesity go hand in hand--taking that to the next level! "

" Those engineering students are a festive bunch, all right. I'd like to see a car-eating event to turn the tables, instead of watching my car eating up so much money and gas. Let them have fun - I remember when my brother, an automotive student at Milford, along with his friends rigged up pushbuttons on their dashes that were connected to spark plugs in their tailpipes, resulting in flames shooting out. Talk about intimidating! UNL's event sounds safer, but just as much fun. "

" A co-worker suggests they build it of beans, then they won't have to buy gas. (Thanks, LJS, for entertaining us on our lunch break!) "

" At least they are using renewable resources! You people complaining need to get a life! "

" Seriously has got it right. First of all the students have to pay for all of their own materials for classes. Second, when I was going through design school they had us do stuff that you thought was stupid all the time to get your mind in a different place for creativity and thought process. The best thing that always comes from projects like this is that they work. They get you thinking outside the box, and that's exatly what I want in a future engineer or any UNL student. "

" I participated in this event the first year Dr Schulte assigned it. We were responsible for all costs, design, and the competition.

Making something that is completely edible forced us to think outside of the box and look for new "innovative" materials. A major part of the project is not only to design the car, but knowing that you have to eat it helps design with a minimalistic approach.This was a great way for us as new engineering students to explore design and function. Back off and stop hammering everything the University does.

rumble grumble gurgle roar, go watch the event, and let me know how much the food bank wants rice cakes and graham crackers covered in peanut butter and frosting.

This is a great project, and I hope Dr. Schulte continues it for many years to come. "

" Calm down people. Have you ever heard of creativity? This is a prime example of that. I immediately knew once I saw this headline the comments would be full of complainers. Can't wait to see the car. "