A previous year’s build in action. Photo by Bob Phelan.

A team of students from Missouri University of Science and Technology will travel to Gainesville, Florida, 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 East Coast Competition.

The competition, which runs Friday, May 8, through Sunday, May 10, 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 in approximately 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 and Garrison Keith, a senior in mechanical engineering from St. Joseph, Missouri, is the lead engineer. 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.