And the Winner Is...

NASA MINDS

Two student teams from the MAE department took part in the 2022 NASA MINDS design event and earned a total of five awards, including the grand prize.

Team SenseAid was named the First Place Senior Grand Champion and received a $5,000 award for its prototype 3D printer that can function in microgravity. The printer uses resin ink rather than thermoplastic ink so that a wide array of functional materials can be printed in space, no matter what the mission demands. The team was led by Associate Instructor Kurt Stresau and aerospace engineering students Dylon Lyon and included student Norrel Thomas, Alexander Cabezas, Jonathan Chambers, Robert Llewellyn, Tatianna Gary and Robert Trautwein.

Team Dr. Regolith, which studied the properties of lunar regolith, was named the Second Place Senior Team and received a $2,500 prize. That team was led by Professor Seetha Raghavan and aerospace engineering student Perla Latorre-Suarez and included students Luiz Sotomayor Garcia, Isaac Turner, Jamie Michelich and Lauren Bansberg.

“Representing UCF as a finalist in the NASA MINDS competition was an outstanding accomplishment and truly a dream come true,” Bansberg said. “I could not be more proud of our team and all the hard work they dedicated to this project.”

The teams also took home the top prizes in two other categories. Dr. Regolith placed first in the Systems Engineering Paper category and won another $500, while SenseAid took third place in the same category. SenseAid also won the top spot in the Technical Poster category and an additional $500 award.

Only seven teams from colleges and universities across the nation made it to the final round in this year’s NASA MINDS event. The student teams work on a technology of their choosing, provided it pertains to the Artemis mission.

Garcia said the experience had a positive impact on himself and his teammates, and hopes that future UCF students follow their lead.

“To be highly recognized for our professional achievements by such prestigious personnel from NASA is career- and life-impacting,” Garcia said. “I am extremely proud of our team and the work we have accomplished.”

SOLAR DECATHLON

A team of mechanical engineering students took home the third place prize in the Attached Housing Division of the 2022 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.

The Solar Decathlon is a collegiate competition that challenges students to create low-cost, energy-efficient buildings with renewable resources. This year, 55 teams from 38 colleges and universities made it to the finals.

“It feels surreal,” said student Diony Abreu. “We were all mechanical engineering students learning the industry from zero. Winning third place against the best universities in the nation and overseas speaks to the quality of professionals UCF is putting out.”

NASA RASC-AL

For the first time in UCF history, a group of Knights was selected for the final round of the NASA Revolutionary Aerospace Concepts — Academic Linkage (RASCAL) competition, which aims to develop innovative technologies that further human space exploration.

To read the full stories on all of our award winners, visit mae.ucf.edu/more-news.