An interdisciplinary effort, spearheaded by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville students, and supported by the School of Engineering and numerous community donors, proved successful on a Michigan racetrack April 5-7.
The SIUE School of Engineering student chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) placed among the best in the nation at the Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) Competition. Aptly named The Spirit of Edwardsville, SIUE’s HPV ranked 11th overall among 50 teams, including a 7th place finish in the women’s drag race tournament, and a 9th place finish in the men’s category.
The competition considers standards of safety, durability, speed and design. Judges analyze a 26-page design paper and presentation, a safety evaluation, a men’s and women’s drag race tournament, and a two-and-a-half-hour endurance race.
“Our team spent many late nights and hundreds of hours in the School of Engineering’s Fowler Student Design Center working on this project,” explained Godfrey native Jonathan Cheatham, ASME student chapter president and senior mechanical engineering major. “The highlights of the national competition were the moments where we were faced with difficult challenges and persevered. We’d get stuck because something wasn’t working right, and a member would say, ‘Wait, I can fix that. I know what to do.’ That’s mechanical engineering for you!”
SIUE’s ASME chapter includes approximately 20 active members, eight of whom traveled to Michigan to compete. They included Cheatham, fellow mechanical engineering students Jeffery Clubb, Anthony Kindle, Nathaniel Kolesa, Joel Eberhart, Genevieve Bourgeois, and Holly Liebel, and industrial engineering major Tiana Sherman. Business and fine arts students also contributed to the team’s success.
“This was definitely an interdisciplinary endeavor,” Cheatham noted. “I loved watching our bike fly down the track and hold its own against our competition, some of whom spent thousands of dollars more on their vehicles.”
In order to combat high material and production costs, the SIUE team sought support from the Edwardsville community. Their outreach proved successful, with multiple local companies offering donations and material discounts to make possible The Spirit of Edwardsville.
“We named our bike The Spirit of Edwardsville for multiple reasons,” Cheatham said. “First and foremost, to show our appreciation for the support we received from SIUE and the Edwardsville community. We also wanted a name that evoked the determination and tenacity of the many people who worked tirelessly to make this project a reality.”
“We cut costs where we could, getting great deals on materials and teaching ourselves to weld instead of outsourcing the work,” he explained. “But in the end, this was going to cost more than our team could afford alone. Generous donors helped us reach our financial goals, including the School of Engineering, Sgt. Pepper’s Café, Dewey’s Pizza and others that wish to remain anonymous. Companies like The Cyclery, Composite Envisions, Wicks Aircraft and OnlineMetals.com helped us with discounts on materials.”
Cheatham emphasizes the value of being involved in a student organization like the ASME.
“I encourage younger engineers to participate in one of the School’s excellent organizations, even if they’re not skilled in the subject matter,” he said. “There is much to learn about engineering that can’t be crammed into a four-year curriculum. My team and I learned volumes about materials, manufacturing, system engineering, project management and leadership during this process.”
Photos: SIUE students stand with The Spirit of Edwardsville, including team members (L-R) Anthony Kindle, Jeffery Clubb, Nathan Kolesa, Joel Eberhart, Tiana Sherman, Jonathan Cheatham and Holly Liebel.
Human Powered Vehicle driver Anthony Kindle stands alongside his team’s creation.