"If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It"?

Don’t try this at home.

A class of 20 mechanical engineering students at Rochester Institute of Technology disassembled and will now put back together, piece by piece, brand-new Briggs & Stratton and Kohler engines.

The endeavor is part of a class project for first-year engineering students. They’ll get their hands dirty, 10–11 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 25, in room 2366 of the James E. Gleason Building.

The project focuses on giving students knowledge of internal combustion engines, says William Scarbrough, assistant professor of mechanical engineering in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering.

"This fun activity will provide some of the hands-on experience with which RIT prides itself," he says.

Adds Harvey Palmer, engineering dean, "This program is very innovative for engaging students in the process of being an engineer and motivating them to learn the basic sciences."

Briggs & Stratton Corp. gave 32 engines, worth $8,160, and Kohler Co. gave 24 engines for the project, the first of its kind at RIT.