The College of New Jersey Wins First Place in the 2011 ASME Student Design Competition

NEW YORK, Nov. 22, 2011 – The College of New Jersey (Ewing) is the winner of the 2011 ASME Student Design Competition finals, an event that challenged teams of engineering students to design and build prototype devices that can convert natural rainwater into energy.  The University of North Dakota (Grand Forks) and Instituto Tecnologico de Ciudad Juarez (Chihuahua, Mexico) were recipients of second and third-place honors, respectively.

The international competition held this month at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, featured engineering teams from 19 colleges and universities in a technical competition that showcased the creativity and ingenuity of tomorrow’s engineering innovators.

The competition, named H2Go: The Untapped Energy Source, challenged students to design mechanical devices capable of converting water into energy to “fuel” a model car.  Contest rules required the students to run a model car in a straight line while keeping as much water as possible contained within the device.  Scoring was based on the distance the vehicle travelled and the amount of water retained in the system.  

The Student Design Competition was held in conjunction with the 2011 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, Nov. 11-17. Featuring the theme “Energy and Water Scarcity,” the conference, ASME’s largest, convened engineers, scientists and technologists of all disciplines to discuss advancements in engineering and to explore solutions to global technology challenges. Major funding for the competition is provided by Boeing.

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.