For five first-year engineering students, being randomly chosen to work as a team proved to be a winning combination.
Noah Bradley, Curtis Leung, Max Manuel, Steven Rowe, and Jordan Schlichtmann not only succeeded at creating an award-winning product but also forged a lasting friendship in the process.
The Mason Cup is awarded annually by Smith Engineering to a team of up to five students — out of approximately 700 to 1,000 students enrolled in the mandatory first-year APSC 103 course. The class is designed to combine theory and practical application by having students work as a team on a project that addresses a real-world design challenge.
Some of the essential criteria to win the prize include demonstrating exceptional teamwork, advanced technical proficiency, financial and sustainability awareness, and effectively communicating the project in both written and presentation formats.
“You initially see that you're nominated for the prize and then don't think much of it because you assume that many groups get nominated,” says Schlichtmann. “Then, when we got the email that said we actually won, it was pretty incredible and very unexpected."
The successful group receives the coveted award for their innovative take on a Baja Jack Stand Lift.
The Baja is an off-road racing buggy that tends to break down frequently due to the constant wear and tear in high-stress race conditions. “Our task was to figure out an easy way to get underneath and lift the vehicle off the ground to do maintenance,” says Manuel.
Rowe adds, "Since the buggy breaks down frequently, there is a need for something that can lift it in the field very quickly. Every second that someone is working on the Baja in a race is a second that all the other vehicles are flying by."
When it came to what the group enjoyed most about the competition process, the team found the confidence and satisfaction they felt when they knew that their problem-solving skills had proved effective were not only affirming but exciting.
“I thought it was great that the criteria was open,” says Schlichtmann. “There were no specifications, so it was pretty exciting to tackle something that we needed to figure out on our own.”
“I think one of my favorite parts of this whole project is being able to take a huge, open-ended problem and narrow it down to one idea that works, and refining it at the end,” says Leung.
The team found the combination of technical and hands-on experience refreshing and proved fulfilling. “The biggest takeaway for me was getting to learn about the engineering process because it was our first time to take something from concept to design to construction and go through that process. It was super revealing,” says Schlichtmann.
“We got to get the hang of all of these different techniques that we'll have to use moving forward in our lab classes this year,” says Manuel. “Especially once we were done building, seeing the final product was so rewarding. It just felt good to see it completed and actually work. All our hard work paid off in the end.”
Despite all the skills acquired throughout the course, one of the key takeaways the group of five readily agreed on was the importance of communication and teamwork when it comes to success in engineering.
“We learned a lot about working as a team, and I think the key to our efficiency was that we played to our strengths. During our first meeting, for instance, we all discussed what we're good at, whether that was report writing, physical prototyping, or math calculations,” says Bradley. “Also, good communication played a really big part, like trying to schedule building times in between midterms and finals and all of our other coursework. I think we all managed to get to the workshop once or twice every week to work on our prototype, which was impressive.”
“It helped me realize how dependent on teamwork engineering is, because I would not have been able to do this myself. Just being able to work in an amazing team and help each other build off our strengths allowed us to make this project a success,” says Leung.
Perhaps the biggest bonus for the team that the course readily affirmed was that the group is on the right track and have chosen their true calling to pursue. "While doing this project, it was great to be able to work on our discipline and confirm, this is fun,” says Rowe. “I wouldn't say it changed my view on engineering, but it was a nice sanity check, where it's like, yeah, we're in the right place. This is it!"
This article is relevant to the following Strategic Actions as defined in the Strategic Plan:
