Spring is student design season at Missouri University of Science and Technology. The university has about a dozen official student design teams, and many other independent design groups. Most of them compete against students from other universities during spring months.

On the weekend of April 29-May 1, S&T’s Concrete Canoe Team and Steel Bridge Team will be in Manhattan, Kan., for a regional competition against host teams from Kansas State University and others. That same weekend, S&T’s Human-Powered Vehicle Team will compete at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

S&T’s Solar Car Team will also compete in the Formula Sun Grand Prix during the week of May 1-7 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway against more than a dozen teams. The winner of the race is the team that completes the most laps over a three-day period.

Missouri S&T’s design teams have won numerous national championships, including in solar car racing and human-powered vehicle racing.

Soon, the university will officially open the $2.75 million Kummer Student Design Center. Portions of the 23,000-square-foot facility, which has retail space, will be used house to various teams. Teams involved in the center include Advanced Aero Vehicle, Baja, Concrete Canoe, Engineers Without Borders, Formula SAE Racing, Human-Powered Vehicle, Robotics, Solar Car, Solar House and Steel Bridge.