WSU Engineering Club: Sending Three Teams to Competition

WSU Everett Engineering Club brings together students from five hands-on engineering teams: Design/Build/Fly, Baja SAE, Wind Energy, Rocket, and Mars Rover. Outside of class, we take what we’ve learned in lectures and put it to work on real engineering challenges: designing, manufacturing, testing, and, when things break, figuring out why and building them better than before.

This year, several of our teams are preparing to represent WSU at collegiate engineering competitions. Getting there takes more than strong designs and dedicated students. It also takes funding for materials, equipment, registration, transportation, and travel. Right now we are facing a budget shortfall, and we need at least $20,000 to get our teams to competition.

Our Teams

Baja SAE: Our Baja team has about 12 students and was just accepted to compete in Arizona in late April! The team has an existing car and a solid foundation, but there is still a lot of work ahead. The braking, steering, suspension, and driveline systems need to be finished, and the aging engine needs to be replaced. On top of parts and materials, getting the car, equipment, and team to Arizona will be a major expense.

Design/Build/Fly (DBF): Our DBF team has about 15 students and is awaiting approval to compete in the AIAA Design/Build/Fly competition in Tucson, Arizona, this coming April. After being inactive for a few years, the team is rebuilding from the ground up. Established teams can improve on past aircraft, tooling, and years of experience. Our team is building that foundation from scratch. Over the year, the team will design, build, test, and refine multiple aircraft on the way to a final competition design. Funding is especially important for the composite materials and components needed to build that final aircraft. The team also plans to make backup parts, because if something breaks during testing or competition, having a replacement ready can be the difference between recovering and being eliminated.

Wind Energy: Our Wind Energy team has about 15 students and plans to compete in California in May. The team has competed successfully for several years now. This year, they’re designing, building, and testing a wind-energy system and will represent WSU Everett against other collegiate teams.

Rocket: Our Rocket team has about 5 students and is preparing to compete in May. Like our other teams, they are taking a project from concept through design, manufacturing, testing, and competition, building real engineering and teamwork skills along the way.

Mars Rover: Our Mars Rover team rounds out the club, giving students another way to collaborate on complex projects that bring together different areas of engineering.

Why It Matters:

For our teams, competition is about much more than the final result. Students learn design, manufacturing, testing, problem-solving, project management, and teamwork- the skills that prepare us for engineering careers. Your support won’t just help this year’s teams reach competition. It will also build up the equipment, knowledge, and experience that future WSU Everett students can keep building on.

Your Donation at Work:

Every dollar raised through Cougstarter goes directly to our teams for materials, equipment, registration fees, and travel. To say thank you, we’ve set up donor levels ranging from a personal email to a personalized thank-you video from our teams.

Every gift, big or small, gets us closer to our goal. Thank you for believing in us!

Follow us on Instagram: @wsu.everettengineeringclub