PrISUm is proud to announce our corporate partnership with Baron. PrISUm is the Iowa State University Solar Car Team, a student run organization which designs, builds, and races vehicles powered by the sun.

Baron is a global provider of Critical Weather Intelligence to industry and government PrISUm's mission is to change the paradigm of transportation, and in doing so inspire future generations to pursue their passions through education. For the first time in the organization's 28-year history, PrISUm is racing on the international scale in the 2017 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (BWSC) across the Australian outback.

As a partner of the Iowa State PrISUm team, Baron is donating a custom-built Baron Threat Net package, which is a real-time weather intelligence software package designed to provide global forecasts with a focus on sunlight.

In addition, Baron is providing the PrISUm team with expert meteorological advice on weather related strategy scenarios. "Racing strategy is crucial to our team's success in competitions. Cloud cover, wind, and precipitation all directly impact the operation and efficiency of our vehicles.

The predictions and real-time data which Baron Threat Net provides will drive our team's strategy while racing" remarked Pieper. Cloud cover, wind speeds, and precipitation dramatically change the performance and efficiency of a solar powered vehicle. Using Baron Threat Net to predict these variables will bring PrISUm's racing strategy to the next level.

The BWSC is a biannual solar vehicle race across the outback of Australia. PrISUm has just completed Penumbra, its 14th generation solar vehicle, to race in the BWSC this October. "Penumbra is the first of its kind- it is the world's first solar utility vehicle.

This is a car which has four seats, cup holders, an infotainment system, a hatchback, and all of the other bells and whistles one would expect of a modern production vehicle" said Ben Pieper, the team's electrical director.

"The cruiser class of the (BWSC) is not just about who can cross the finish line first, rather it is about who can create a practical vehicle and well put together vehicle which is also extremely efficient" continued Ben.

Making Penumbra (the name of the Iowa State vehicle) race with extreme efficiency requires a well-developed racing strategy which accounts for, among other factors, the weather; this is where Baron's expertise comes in.

As a non-profit organization, PrISUm relies on corporate partners to achieve its goals. In partnering with PrISUm, Baron joins a community of corporate entities which fuel the innovation PrISUm is creating. With help of companies like Baron, PrISUm has made a profound impact on the community through outreach events.

At the start of the summer, PrISUm toured Penumbra across the entire state of Iowa, sharing the message of STEM and renewable energy with over 500,000 people through social media, news coverage, and most importantly face to face interaction. With Baron's help, PrISUm hopes to perform well in the BWSC, and continue to achieve its goal of changing the paradigm of transportation.