Two MSOE American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) teams were ranked among the top five in the 2018 ASME Student Design Competition, which challenged students to design and build prototypes of remotely controlled devices to play “soccer” in a modified four-way match.

MSOE teams Cicero and Angry Snails earned second and fourth place, respectively, at the regional E-Fest East contest at Penn State on April 13-15. Students on team Cicero included Daniel Brandner, Caleb Klaty, Seth LiaBraaten and Rahul Maramreddy. Students on team Angry Snails were Amith Baskaran, Andrew Gray, Aaron Kieckbusch, John Sager and Kevin Sivak. Dr. Mohammad Mahinfalah, a professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department, served as faculty advisor.

“Each team had a main robot, which was the main offensive robot,” said Klaty, mechanical engineering senior. “The other robots were primarily defenders.”

Cicero had four robots, while the Angry Snails had three.

E-Fests, also known as Engineering Festivals, are three-day regional events built around design, advanced manufacturing and robotics technologies. They enable engineering students to expand their knowledge, test and showcase new skills and inspire innovation. Fifty-four teams competed at E-Fest East. The ASME Student Design Competition provides a platform for ASME student members to present their solutions to a range of design problems - from everyday household tasks to groundbreaking space exploration. Each team is required to design, construct and operate a prototype meeting the requirements of an annually determined problem statement.

Any of the 54 teams may decide to compete at the national competition in November. The first and second place teams of E-Fest regional competitions are awarded a $1,000 travel stipend to encourage their attendance.

Charlotte Kroc, mechanical engineering senior, participated in the ASME Old Guard Oral Presentation Competition. In this competition, students deliver a 15-minute presentation on a subject addressing a technical, economic or environmental aspect of engineering. A major portion of the total score is based on the judges’ evaluation of the student’s relative capability to communicate orally, including evidence of a talent to respond effectively during a five-minute question and answer period. Kroc was awarded second place for her presentation entitled “Improved Assistive Lifting Device.”