A team of students from Missouri University of Science and Technology will travel to San Jose, California, this month to race an aerodynamically fitted recumbent trike against collegiate teams from across the nation in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers 2015 Human Powered Vehicle Challenge West Coast Competition.
The competition, which runs Friday, April 24, through Sunday, April 26, requires students to design, build and operate a human-powered vehicle for practical use.
In the design portion of the competition, teams are scored on their engineering principles through a written report and technical presentation. The actual racing is split into three sections. The first day of racing features men’s and women’s speed events, in which teams sprint head-to-head over a short distance. On the second day of racing, teams compete in an endurance event, racing to complete as many laps as possible during a span of over two hours.
Missouri S&T’s vehicle, named “Leviathan” and painted to resemble a sea monster, has two wheels in the front and one in the back. It has a steel frame enclosed in an aerodynamic shell made out of carbon fiber. The driver can use mechanisms built into the steering wheel to control the vehicle’s lights, horn and turn signals.
John Bowers, a senior in engineering management from Park Hills, Missouri, is the team leader for the 2014-15 design season, and Garrison Keith, a senior in mechanical engineering from St. Joseph, Missouri, is the lead engineering. Dr. Daniel Stutts, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at S&T, is the Human Powered Vehicle Competition Team faculty advisor. For more information about the event, visit asme.org.
The Missouri S&T Human Powered Vehicle Competition Team members are:
Emily Amerson, a junior in engineering from Peculiar, Missouri
Eric Audiffred, a senior in mechanical engineering from Ballwin, Missouri
John Bowers, a senior in engineering management from Park Hills, Missouri
Kevin Bruns, a senior in nuclear engineering from St. Louis
Nikia Chapman, a senior in geological engineering from Columbia, Missouri
Jordan Chervinko, a sophomore in petroleum engineering from Decatur, Illinois
Tristan Comer, a senior in engineering management from Odessa, Missouri
Brooklan Davis, a freshman in geological engineering from Strafford, Missouri
Benjamin Dohogne, a sophomore in mechanical engineering from Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Aaron Dorsey, a senior in mechanical engineering from St. Peters, Missouri
Jimmy Foster, a senior in petroleum engineering from West Plains, Missouri
Mark Fraser, a senior in mechanical engineering from Fenton, Missouri
Peter Freiberger, a senior in mechanical engineering from Florissant, Missouri
Scott Geisinger, a sophomore in mechanical engineering from Gladstone, Missouri
Jonathan Graif, a senior in aerospace engineering from Rolla, Missouri
Garrison Keith, a senior in mechanical engineering from St. Joseph, Missouri
William Kennedy, a senior in economics and mechanical engineering from Webster Groves, Missouri
Benjamin Lassanske, a sophomore in mechanical engineering from Saint Charles, Missouri
David Lujan, a junior in applied mathematics from Raytown, Missouri
Lucas Parker, a junior in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Herculaneum, Missouri
Brittany Robertson, a freshman in engineering management from Bourbon, Missouri
Benjamin Ryherd, a senior in mechanical engineering from Mahomet, Illinois
Daniel Schneider, a junior in mechanical and aerospace engineering from House Springs, Missouri
Michael Schnurr, a freshman in mechanical engineering from Manchester, Missouri
Connor Sprague, a senior in engineering management from Willard, Missouri
Gregory Wilkins, a sophomore in mechanical engineering from Rolla, Missouri
Luke Willenbrink, a freshman in aerospace engineering from Robertsville, Missouri
Aaron Wiseman, a senior in mechanical engineering from Springfield, Missouri
Corey Wiseman, a senior in aerospace engineering from Springfield, Missouri
Joshua Yoes, a sophomore in mechanical engineering from Nixa, Missouri.
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