Team Overview

The SDELC currently oversees 9 design competition teams, one service learning team, and one research team. In the past, the SDELC has also helped support other various research programs. Below are descriptions for each of the teams.

Advanced Aero Vehicle Group

Stimulated by the power of flight, students from across campus design, build, and compete in various aerospace competitions. From rockets to planes, the team applies what they learn in class to actual designs and engineering projects. These projects provide valuable experience in solving design problems and teach students how to work with businesses to gain support for their team. Each year, the Missouri S&T AAVG team puts their design to the test against several other schools though design reports and flight competitions.

Visit the Advanced Aero Group's Web site

Concrete Canoe Team

Motivated by the unthinkable, students hand craft a canoe made of concrete to race against other engineering schools in a variety of racing conditions. Students must design a hull that minimizes drag in the water, strong enough to carry several participates during a race, floats when completely filled with water, and as light weight as possible. Teams that participate must develop engineering reports, presentations, and cross sectional samples for judging. Then teams demonstrate their canoes in open waters racing head to head against other top schools.

Visit the Concrete Canoe Team's Web site

Formula SAE Team

Excited by speed and performance, students develop, build, and demonstrate the ingenuity of their very own formula one style race car. This design competition challenges teams to demonstrate the abilities of their car to accelerate, maneuver, brake, as well as the fuel economy through an endurance event in a variety of conditions. Students must provide a full engineering report, presentation, and cost analysis for a limited production run of their vehicle.

Visit the Formula Car Team's Web site

Human Powered Vehicle

Using the power of our bodies combined with the knowledge of our minds, students design, build, and race a vehicle that uses the power drawn from a single rider. Teams must complete a design report, oral presentation, and compete in sprint and endurance races.  Last year, the team continued its streak of victories by finishing First Place in both the East and West Coast competitions, becoming the first team to ever accomplish this feat.  Along with a single rider class, the Human Powered Vehicle Team has expanded into the utility class of the ASME Human Powered Vehicle Challenge.

Visit the Human Powered Vehicle Team's Web site

Human Powered Speed Challenge

The Human Powered Speed Challenge team focuses on one goal: to reach the highest speed possible under human power. The team competed in October 2007 in the World Speed Challenge, a competition attended by many college and private teams from all around the world.  Missouri S&T reached a speed of 59.3 mph just missing the collegiate record of 61.5.  Expect to see more attempts in the future from students looking to go as fast as humanly possible. 

Baja Team

 In the SAE Baja Competition, which began in 1976, students design and build a four-wheel, single-seat, off-road recreational prototype vehicle to be accepted for manufacture by a fictitious firm. The car must be marketable, safe and cost-efficient, yet able to withstand a battery of challenges through a maneuverability time trial, a four-hour endurance race, hill climbing and drag racing. Last year, SAE Baja captured 35th out of 75 at the East Competition. The team is already hard at work for the next competition now knowing what they need to do to be on top.

Visit the Baja Team's Web site

Robotics Team

 The Missouri S&T Robotics Competition Team competes in the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC) and other events.  Inspired by the function of robotics, Missouri S&T students team up with students from one of our local high schools to compete in FIRST. FIRST is a national robotics competition that allows participants only 6 weeks to develop a robot that can accomplish a specific set of functions in which they will compete against other schools to determine a winner. A major objective of this group beyond the application of classroom knowledge is to inspire young people to pursue an education in engineering and science.

Visit the Robotics Team's Web site

Solar Car Team

 A nationally recognized solar racing team, students from Missouri S&T develop, fabricate, and race a 100% solar powered vehicle. A successful solar car requires unique sub-systems that work together to producing a highly efficient race car.  Using only the power of the sun students aim to collect power through photo voltaic cells and convert that power to propel a single seater race car down the road at average highway speeds. Cars are built using the latest in composite technologies, battery technologies, and motor system technologies. Mechanical component design, aerodynamics, and structural integrity are all critical factors that figure in the efficiency of the vehicle. The 2008 race, the North American Solar Challenge, begins in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas on July 13 and ends on July 21 in Calgary, Alberta. 

Visit the Solar Car Team's Web site

Solar House Team

  Inspired from the success of the Missouri S&T solar racing program, students look for ways to apply solar technologies to residential structures. Students design, construct, and demonstrate practical ways of producing and using energy efficiently in the home. Teams compete in capturing, converting, storing, and using enough solar energy to power our modern lifestyle by supplying enough power for an entire household including an all electric production vehicle. For the 2009 competition, Missouri S&T partnered with the architectural studies program from the University of Missouri.

Visit the Solar House Team's Web site

Steel Bridge Team

 Spanning our ability to travel, students develop a bridge made of steel that can support a given load, can be assembled quickly, and has visual appeal. Bridges are judged on movement under load, time taken to assemble, and completeness of design through a design engineering report and design presentation.

Visit the Steel Bridge Team's Web site

Engineers Without Borders

 Engineers Without Borders- USA partners with developing communities to improve their quality of life through the implementation of environmentally, equitable, and economically sustainable engineering projects while developing internationally responsible engineers and engineering students. EWB-Missouri S&T became the first chapter of EWB-USA in the state of Missouri in 2004 partnering with over 100 other universities. In 2006 the team traveled to Bolivia and Guatemala. Return trips are planned as well as future projects to help other people. Many different disciplines are needed to make EWB possible. The understanding that the non-engineering components of local needs are almost always more complicated than the engineering aspects. EWB seeks to instill this reality within the engineering students that are an integral part of the entire process

Visit the Missouri S&T-EWB Web site.