News

As a fulfillment of their Senior Capstone experience, a team of students from the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering designed and built a Human Powered Vehicle (HPV), entered a national competition, and placed third overall.

The Human Powered Vehicle Challenge, sponsored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), took place at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, April 28-30, 2006. The team entered their HPV, the PSU Vike Trike in three events: Design, Endurance, and Sprint. Design scores are based on a design paper and vehicle presentation; endurance scores are based on the results of a head to head 60km road race; and sprint scores are based on the top speed the vehicle can obtain given a 500-meter run-up.

The complete placement of the PSU Vike Trike was as follows:
Design: 4^th place
Sprint: 2^nd place
Endurance: 5^th place
Overall: 3^rd place

The HPV team, advised by Professor Derek Tretheway, included seniors Kenny Braun, Brian Hays, Cary Hertert, Robert Jackson, and Heidi Tinnesand; and juniors Jake Furniss and Justin Stenkamp. The juniors plan to be part of the 2007 HPV team.

The PSU Vike Trike is a recumbent tricycle with two steering wheels in front and a single drive wheel in the rear. It boasts a mono-tube frame constructed of 4130 chrome-molybdenum (a high-strength steel alloy), an aluminum sub-frame and roll bar, carbon fiber fairing and seat, and an 18-speed bicycle transmission. The vehicle has reached speeds of over 40 miles per hour on flat ground.

Capstone projects in Portland State University's Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science are designed to complete students' undergraduate education and to launch their professional lives by working on real-world, industry-relevant projects. The Capstone provides a six-month experience for students to integrate skills from technical courses with open-ended problem-solving and project management. The Capstone is the culminating experience of the College's core curriculum.

U.S. News & World Report continues to rank Portland State among the top 10 colleges in the country for its innovative Senior Capstone projects, service learning, and learning communities.