Missouri S&T’s Human Powered Vehicle Challenge team recently earned first place at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers two 2020 Human Powered Vehicle Challenge Digital Competitions. The ASME E-Fest North and E-Fest South competitions, traditionally held in-person at different universities, were moved online due to safety precautions related to the current spread of COVID-19.

The competitions challenge students to design, build and operate a human-powered vehicle for practical use. Vehicles typically resemble aerodynamically focused vehicles.

Missouri S&T’s team earned first place overall at both competitions after all teams were judged on a design report and presentation. The teams were required to describe their design, analysis and the testing process that they followed throughout the academic year. This year, the teams focused on a “trailer-pull challenge,” rollbar verification and drivetrain optimization.

The competitions traditionally also include a dynamic portion, with teams racing along set courses to prove their concepts, but the race was not possible due to the remote nature of the 2020 competitions. Instead, teams submitted a 5-minute highlight video of their creations in action.

Missouri S&T’s vehicle at the competition, named “Greased Lightning,” has two wheels in the front and one in the back. It has a steel frame in a recumbent-style of riders reclining as they pedal.

The Human Powered Vehicle Challenge Team is one of 20 student-run teams in Missouri S&T’s Student Design and Experiential Learning Center (SDELC). The SDELC, housed in the Kummer Student Design Center, provides teams with computer design laboratories, a manufacturing shop, office space and logistical support. Design teams mirror small start-up companies that plan large-scale projects, organize into departments, raise funds, communicate their ideas and solve open-ended design challenges. Almost every team competes annually at an event against other collegiate teams from around the country and the world.

For more information about the team, visit humanpowered.mst.edu.

The Missouri S&T Human Powered Vehicle Competition Team members include:

Emily Allen, a senior in engineering management from Gibson City, Illinois

Elianna Bender, a sophomore in geology and geophysics from Mundelein, Illinois

Joshua Bennett, a senior in mechanical engineering from Manteca, California

Peyton Besand, a senior in mechanical engineering from Perryville, Missouri

Lauren Bower, a senior in mechanical engineering from St. Louis

Aiden Davis, a sophomore in mechanical engineering from Springfield, Missouri

Alivia Dean, a senior in mechanical engineering from Clyde, Ohio

Alexandria Doll, a senior in ceramic engineering from Owensville, Missouri

Hope Drennan, a senior in environmental engineering from Columbia, Illinois

Jacob Garrett, a sophomore in mechanical engineering from Cleveland, Tennessee

Jacob Hackbarth, a senior in mechanical engineering from St. Louis

Camryn Hays, a senior in architectural engineering from Smithville, Missouri

Jacob Huxol, a senior in metallurgical engineering from Washington, Missouri

Tiffany Kuhnert, a senior in mechanical engineering from Springfield, Missouri

Kyleigh Marsh, a senior in mechanical engineering from Olathe, Kansas

Friedrich May, a senior in nuclear engineering from St. Louis

Sarah Morrison, a senior in mechanical engineering from Garden City, Missouri

Zachary Petersen, a senior in mechanical engineering from Minooka, Illinois

Mashroor Rashid, a senior in computer engineering from St. Louis

Haley Rehagen, a senior in mechanical engineering from Westphalia, Missouri

Darrin Snodgrass, a senior in mechanical engineering from Battlefield, Missouri

Landon Stephen, a freshman in applied mathematics from Nixa, Missouri

Sophia Stone, a junior in mechanical engineering from Foristell, Missouri

Richard Tobey, a junior in chemical engineering from Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Kevin Tran, a freshman in mechanical engineering from St. Louis

Tyler Tschannen, a senior in mechanical engineering from Foristell, Missouri

Elijah Wade, a freshman in computer science from Blue Springs, Missouri

Josiah Wade, a senior in mechanical engineering from Blue Springs, Missouri

Elijah Wouters, a senior in aerospace engineering from Brentwood, Missouri.