Student Design Competition Center

Ready to put your classroom knowledge to work - and learn some valuable life lessons in the process? Then join one of Missouri S&T's world-class student design teams! You can help build a canoe out of concrete (yes, it really floats), design and build a formula-style racer or a sleek, sun-powered car (or house), or put together a steel bridge in record time. You can even take a trip back in time and get your hands dirty with some old-fashioned mining techniques.

Missouri S&T's reputation for excellence in student design is well-known around the world. Recent design team accomplishments include:

The six-time east coast champions,  Human Powered Vehicle Team, took first place in the west coast race in 2007, claiming a national championship for the first time.

The Advanced Aero Vehicle Group, which designs one workhorse of a radio-controlled airplane, finished 4th place in the 2007 AAVG Competition while attempting to lift maximum possible design cargo. Strong crosswinds damaged the tail boom, sending the plane out of control. The team also designed a rocket that took 1st place in their event at Iowa State University.

The Missouri S&T Concrete Canoe team took top three awards in the men's and coed sprints in 2007.

The center’s newest team, Baja off-road racing, finished 1st in the Mud Bog portion of their competition in 2007.

The Solar House team competed in the Solar Decathlon on the National Mall in Washington, DC in October, 2007. They have since been accepted for the 2009 Solar Decathlon.

The Solar Car team will be in the North American Solar Challenge in July, 2008. The race begins in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area on July 13 and ends in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on July 21.

Formula SAE placed 4th in the highly selective Goodyear Tire/FSAE Shoot-Out in 2007.

No matter which design team interests you, you'll find the organizations to be an exciting way to compete in regional, national and international contests - and a terrific way to apply what you've learned in the classroom in a real hands-on project. You'll also have the opportunity to learn new skills - such as fund-raising, public relations and team management - that will pay huge dividends in the future.