Engineering students at Michigan State University are collaborating with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) to host an action-packed weekend event from April 5-7 in East Lansing.
ASME Engineering Festivals™ (E-Fests) presents E-Fest North, where students will showcase their technical skills and creativity and connect with leaders and practicing engineers for career advice. Online registration is now open. About 1,000 participants are expected to attend, including engineering students from MSU and more than 75 other colleges and universities in five countries ­who have already registered.
Matthew Belknap, a senior in mechanical engineering, is chair of ASME's event at MSU. He told the State News there is excitement building for this fun, three-day event for engineering students.
E-Fest includes four competitions that give students a chance to apply their engineering education:
- Human Powered Vehicle Challenge (HPVC) - Now filled with 50 teams from 47 colleges and universities, students will design and build sustainable and practical transportation alternatives for everyday use - from commuting to work, to carrying goods to market.
- Student Design Competition - More than 40 student teams will design prototypes, typically involving robotics, and engage them in battle.
- Innovative Additive Manufacturing 3D (IAM3D) Challenge - The 2019 ASME IAM3D Hovercraft Competition tasks students to create an unmanned emergency resupply vehicle that can traverse many mediums to deliver lifesaving aid to those in need.
- Old Guard Oral Presentation and Technical Poster Competition
John Thornton, chief executive officer of Astrobotic, will deliver the keynote address at lunch on Saturday, April 6. Astrobotic is a Pittsburgh-based lunar delivery service that will launch its Peregrine Lunar Lander in early 2021. Thornton will discuss "laying the groundwork for mankind's next giant leap in space exploration."
The weekend program also includes a variety of interactive workshops and sessions, fun social events and entertainment. Some highlights include a session on the engineering thrill of roller coaster dynamics with Jeff Rhoads, a professor at Purdue University, and a session on engineering for social innovation, led by Jesse Austin-Brenemen, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at University of Michigan, and Caroline Soyars, program manager of the Global Health Design Initiative (GHDI) at University of Michigan and who completed two fellowships with Engineering for Change (E4C), an international community of 1.1 million engineers working for social good.
"The atmosphere at E-Fest is filled with so much creative energy from the students," ASME President Said Jahanmir said. "ASME is proud to help provide these opportunities for applied learning, innovation, professional growth and leadership training for future engineers."
For the second consecutive year, Siemens is a platinum sponsor of the ASME E-Fest event series.
"The E-Fest movement demonstrates the unique value that ASME delivers in bringing industry and academia together to prepare the next generation workforce, and to empower today's engineering students with hands-on experience, networking and career preparation," says John Miller, senior vice president of mainstream engineering at Siemens PLM Software.
About ASME E-Fests
ASME Engineering Festivals‚Ñ¢ (E-Fests) are regional events for engineering students that include design competitions, career development workshops, access to thought leaders and innovators in various engineering fields, and networking opportunities. E-Fests also extend beyond the in-person events and provide online content, resources and a community that enables students to foster innovation, network with key players in the industry, connect with peers and celebrate engineering.
About ASME
ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world challenges. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing and skill development across all engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society. ASME codes and standards, publications, conferences, continuing education and professional development programs provide a foundation for advancing technical knowledge and a safer world. www.asme.org