Cal Poly Mechanical Engineers Win National Contest for 10th Straight Year – Place Second In Design Competition

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Cal Poly’s American Society of Mechanical Engineers continued their legacy as the nation’s leading student chapter at the recent American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Ingersoll-Rand Regional Conference in Reno, NV. The group was named top chapter for the 10th straight year and placed second in the Student Design Competition.

The Cal Poly team secured their second place prize in the Student Design Competition with this entry: a human-powered water boiling and distillation system. The contest was based on the need for such devices in the aftermath of natural disasters such as the tsunami of 2004 and Hurricane Katrina. Cal Poly received high marks for superior distillation.

Seniors Andrew Tranovich from Valencia, Leon Goss from Long Beach and Jennifer Roecks from San Carlos accepted the Ingersoll-Rand Award on behalf of the chapter. The contest encourages engineering students to be complete professionals by participating in technical events, building character toward good citizenship, and learning more about real world engineering.

Leon Goss and Andrew Tranovich also won awards in the Old Guard Oral Presentation Competition. According to the ASME, “an engineer, like all professionals, must possess a well-developed ability to communicate, both orally and in writing.” Goss rose to the occasion by securing second place. Tranovich took fourth place.

Cal Poly’s top chapter status represents the group’s active annual calendar that includes tours, meetings, speakers, and notable outreach activities. “Our members are eager to give back to the community,” says Tranovich, current ASME chair.

In the past year, members produced engineering lab activities for a local middle school and hosted the 2006 ASME Human Powered Vehicle Challenge, a three-day design and race competition. Such events coupled with the chapter’s excellent membership participation ensured them another win in Reno.

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