NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Thirty-one colleges will line up their little vehicles in Nashville this weekend to test alternative fuels.

It's the 11th Annual Chem-E-Car Competition featuring vehicles about the size of shoeboxes using nontraditional fuels. The contest is part of the annual meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

The vehicles in past events have been powered by beef liver, beetle enzymes and a host of other unusual fuels.

Sponsors told The Tennessean newspaper that it's entertaining but has a serious side too. The event is designed to get future scientists thinking about alternative fuels.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.