BCoE teams prepare for new school year
October 7, 2015
STARKVILLE, Miss. – To continue momentum from last year’s successes, many Bagley College of Engineering student design teams have begun preparing for this year’s competitions.
Several also continue seeking both engineering and non-engineering students to join in their efforts for 2016.
Teams and their information are listed below (alphabetically):
ASCE, Concrete Canoe, Steel Bridge and Timber Bridge
The American Society of Civil Engineers competes annually in three competitions: concrete canoe, steel and timber bridges. The canoe team’s second-place finish last year in regional competition marked its second time in three years to reach the national level.
Chapter adviser Seamus Freyne invites all interested undergraduate civil engineering majors to apply their classroom knowledge in this hands-on group environment. For more, visit @MSUASCE on Twitter or contact Freyne at freyne@cee.msstate.edu.
EcoCAR3
EcoCAR3 is a competition involving teams from 16 North American universities that work to transform a new Chevrolet Camaro into a maximum-performance hybrid-electric vehicle.
In 2015, MSU’s EcoCAR3 finished in overall seventh place, while its controls team was second overall. Project manager Stephen Hayes, a graduate student from Birmingham, Alabama, also placed second in the Excellence in Leadership category.
This year’s team has open positions in communication, mechanical, electrical, systems modeling, and simulations and controls. To join, contact Ashley Madison at amm1165@msstate.edu.
Facebook likes may be registered at MSU EcoCAR3; to stay current on its progress, visit @MSUEcoCAR2 on Twitter and Instagram.
Formula SAE
Members of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) chapter compete annually at the Michigan International Speedway against peers from around the world. After being totally designed, manufactured and assembled by students, the Formula SAE cars are judged on the basis of durability and performance.
Last year, MSU placed 62nd out of 110 teams. The design team scored 70 points out of a possible 150 points – only 10 fewer than the team’s all-time record. In the cost section category, the group amassed a final score of 71 out of 100 possible points.
Team leader Bradley Sanders said this year’s team plans to have a lighter and faster vehicle. The design team welcomes students in all majors – even those with no prior knowledge or experience – to join the SAE effort. Participation involves no fees or time requirements.
For more, e-mail mspeed.fsae@gmail.com or attend a weekly meeting in 301 Carpenter Hall. To follow the team, visit Mississippi State Formula SAE on Facebook, @mspeed_Fsae on Instagram and @msu_fsae on Twitter.
Human Powered Vehicle
With a goal to create practical, eco-friendly transportation, the Human Powered Vehicle team designs and builds competition entries that feature highly efficient bicycle or tricycle frames covered with aerodynamic shells of fiberglass and carbon fiber.
Organized annually by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Human Powered Vehicle Challenge is judged on speed, endurance, safety, design, and innovation.
Last year, MSU finished sixth in innovation, 12th in design and 19th overall.
Team leader Adam Weed said the 2015 entry represented a major improvement from previous years. With the goal of higher rankings next year, Weed said the 2016 goal is an even lighter, more efficient vehicle.
The HPV challenge is open to all engineering majors from freshmen to graduate school levels. For more information, email hpvc.msu@gmail.com or like Mississippi State ASME on Facebook.
Space Cowboys
The Space Cowboys is a research and design team within the aerospace engineering department. Involving approximately a dozen students at the freshmen-graduate levels, the group designs, manufactures, tests and launches rockets.
During the summer, the Space Cowboys topped more than 70 collegiate teams from seven countries to win the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition. The 2015 entry was a 13-foot, two-stage maroon-colored rocket that achieved an altitude of 22,562 feet and a maximum speed of Mach 1.51.
The rockets were judged on their design, launch performance and technical documentation, with presentations conducted throughout the year.
Although this year’s team will not enter a competition, they will be working on another exciting project: to construct the fastest rocket ever built by a university team. The team hopes to launch this rocket in June 2016 at the Black Rock Desert in Nevada.
While open to all majors and academic classifications, students with skills or experience in robotics, programming abilities, machine-shop operations and related areas are encouraged to join. For more, contact Eric Stallcup at ews89@msstate.edu or visit msuspacecowboys.org.
Super Mileage Vehicle
For the first time, MSU’s chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers will compete in the Super Mileage Vehicle competition. Joining with the Human Powered Vehicle team, the group is designing and constructing a vehicle powered by a high-efficiency engine that will be entered in the Shell Eco-Marathon, an international competition focused on achieving the highest possible gas mileage.
For more, interested students may email hpvc.msu@gmail.com or like Mississippi State ASME on Facebook.
Xipiter
A multi-disciplinary team, Xipiter involves the design, manufacture and testing of an unmanned aerial system for annual competition in the Association for Unmanned Systems’ International Student UAS competition.
This year, the MSU Xipiter team is focusing on automatic recognition, increased overall system endurance and a more efficient manufacturing process.
Ability and willingness to learn are the only participation requirements, said team leader CJ Spinnato.
Additional information is found at www.xipiter.org and @XawkUAS on Twitter. Like Xipiter UAS Integrated Product Team on Facebook.
For more information about Bagley College student organizations and design teams, visit www.bagley.msstate.edu.
By Jen Nguyen