Winners of the 2010 ASME Human Powered Vehicle Challenge East Are Announced

NEW YORK, May 17, 2010 – ASME has announced the winners of the 2010 ASME Human Powered Vehicle Challenge (HPVC) East, which took place May 7-9 at the Central Connecticut State University campus in New Britain, CT. The winning teams included Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Terre Haute, Ind.), which placed first in the unrestricted class, and Missouri University of Science and Technology (Rolla, Mo.), which placed first in the speed class. Both teams were also first place winners in their respective classes for the west coast competition which was held last month.

The ASME Human Powered Vehicle Challenge provides an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate engineering students to demonstrate the application of sound engineering design principles in the development of sustainable and practical transportation alternatives. Throughout the competition, students worked in teams to design and build efficient, highly engineered vehicles for everyday use—from commuting to work, to transporting goods to market. These prototypes were judged primarily on their design, speed, safety and functionality.

This marks the second year in a row that the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology team placed first in both the east and west coast HPVC competitions. This year’s team constructed a vehicle, named “Ragnarok”, which won challenges that were based on utility and practical use. The Missouri University of Science and Technology’s vehicle, “Siren”, took first place in the speed class of the east coast competition, as well as the west coast competition held last month. These teams were two of the 25 student teams that assembled from all over the world to take part in this competition.

The competition also includes a special judges’ award given on behalf of the competition sponsor, Knovel. The Knovelty Award is given to the team which demonstrates exceptional creativity and innovation in design. This year’s east coast winner of the Knovelty Award was US Naval Academy team for the ingenuity showcased when they were forced to find a replacement tire tube and used a 600 volt cable from a hardware store, enabling them to complete the race.

“The ASME Human Powered Vehicle Challenge gives student engineers first-hand experience in working with a team of engineers to create useful innovations and meet challenges faced by the engineering community today,” said ASME President Amos Holt, Ph. D. “We are proud to see the level of innovation and skill represented in the teams at the HPVC competitions and look forward to their contributions to the engineering community and the world.”

Second and third place teams were also announced for both the speed and unrestricted classes of the competition. These teams included: Olin College (2nd place, speed class), University of Wisconsin, Madison (2nd place, unrestricted class), University of Toronto (3rd place, speed class) and Ohio Northern University (3rd place, unrestricted class).

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.

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Media contact: Regina Nisita rnisita@affectstrategies.com or 212.398.9680 ext 145

ASME Contact: John Varrasi varrasij@asme.org or 212.591.8158