What was once thought to be only a fantasy - telling a car where to go and then sitting back to enjoy the ride as the vehicle does the driving - is close to reality.

A 2005 Dodge Caravan donated to the Engineering Department will be quite different from typical minivans that occupy the streets. Students and faculty will work to make the vehicle drive itself, without human guidance.

The car will be entered into the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency [DARPA] Grand Challenge, which is in its third year. The vehicle that performs the best on a determined course, with obstacles, will win the competition.

The team of students and faculty consists of about 50 people - including three faculty members, seven graduate students and 36 undergraduate students.

"It's fun to have a big project with a lot of people working together; there's a lot of excitement," said Doran Wilde, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering.

"This being our first year entering the challenge, we don't know how we'll do," Wilde said. "We hope to do well, but we don't expect to do as well as teams who have been doing it for three years."

The DARPA Grand Challenge has three stages.

The first stage will occur on April 13. Teams must send a five-minute video demonstrating their vehicle driving autonomously.

Teams are then selected for a site visit at the end of June. A representative from DARPA will watch each team's vehicle operate in their hometown. Teams that perform well during the site visit will be asked to compete in the National Qualifying Event in October.

The final teams will compete November in the final stage of the challenge for a $2 million prize. The final task is to have the vehicles drive on a high difficulty course with various obstacles.

To effectively tackle the project, BYU's team of 50 is divided into three groups: artificial intelligence, controls and sensors.

Christopher Greco of Culpepper, Va., a master's student in electrical engineering, is the team leader over all three groups and is also the sensor team leader.

Greco said he knows the experience he gains from the project will carry over into his career.

"Seeing the magnitude of this project, it's a good eye-opener for what kind of projects to expect in a job after college," Greco said.

The students involved believe the DARPA Challenge is a great opportunity to demonstrate their abilities to future employers.

"This kind of project is very highly recruited," said Beau Tippetts of Afton, Wyo., a master's student in electrical engineering and the

vehicle control group leader. "It really allows you apply the skills and knowledge that you've gained and put them into practice."