Challenges/Projects

The 2019 Stryker Engineering Challenge

Michigan Colleges Alliance (MCA) team from various colleges including Andrews University won the 2019 Stryker Engineering Challenge on Friday March 22 against teams from University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Michigan Technological University, Western Michigan University, University of Notre Dame, and Purdue University. The main part of the challenge was to design a remotely controlled vehicle from a supplied build kit. This vehicle was used in a 30 minute pick-up Lego people competition where all teams work at the same time, and in an obstacle course race where two-three teams raced at a time to see who could complete the course with the fastest time. Each team has to use three different drivers during the race. Read more...

2016 SpaceX Hyperloop Challenge

A team of students participated in the recent SpaceX Hyperloop Challenge held at Texas A&M. Other participating schools included Harvard, MIT and Virginia Tech.

By: Becky St. Clair
“The Hyperloop is a new, fifth form of transportation using a pod traveling inside a vacuum tube at 700–800 miles per hour. It uses magnetic levitation or air skis, basically allowing the pod to ride on a film of air so there’s never contact between it and the ground.”  This is how junior mechanical engineering major Jonathan Penrod describes the futuristic invention of Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla. This eyebrow-raising idea, however, isn’t as far into the future as we might think. Read More...

The 2016 Stryker Engineering Challenge

The 2016 Stryker Engineering Challenge took place from March 31 to April 1. Seven teams participated: two from Notre Dame, two from University of Michigan, one from Purdue, one from Western Michigan University, and one from the Michigan Colleges Alliance.

The Challenge was to design a remotely controlled vehicle that could pick up victims (small Lego people) using a magnet. The situation was a simulated gas leak in downtown Kalamazoo. There were three separate areas to pick up victims from. The attached course picture shows the teams’ pit areas closest to the camera and a park on the right, a hospital area in the middle, and downtown stores area on the left. Read More...