CSU–Pueblo students place fifth in national design competition

Pueblo –A team of Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) students at Colorado State University - Pueblo designed their way to a fifth-place finish in an international competition with such schools as University of Southern California, Michigan State, and North Carolina State. The annual design competition is sponsored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) for engineering and engineering technology students who are members of the ASME.

This year’s competition, held in Orlando, Fla. in early November, required students to design a machine to carry ore (rice) up three stairs, make a right turn, dump the ore, and return to the start to repeat as many trips as possible in 10 minutes. In the finals, the CSU-Pueblo team was fifth in line to compete against teams from 13 regions representing the United States, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. Their design carried 30 pounds, or seven more than it had carried in the qualification round.

The top 10 finishes were as follows:
1st University of North Florida
2nd Michigan State University
3rd Oregon State University
4th North Dakota State University
5th Colorado State University-Pueblo
6th Western Kentucky University
7th University of Southern California
8th North Carolina University
9th University of Puerto Rico
10th(tie) Union College, University of New Orleans, University de Simon Bolivar of Venezuela

The CSU-Pueblo design team members were Brandon Van Buskirk, Pueblo, Brandon Smith, Pueblo, Erik Andersen, Fort Collins, Mike Long (a CET graduate from Fowler), and an alternate, Steve Santa, Pueblo. Paul Wallace, Laboratory Coordinator for the College of Engineering, Education, and Professional Studies accompanied the team as faculty representative.

“The students raised monies and arranged the transportation and hotels on their own,” said Wade Bailey, advisor to the ASME student chapter. “They’re one of the most motivated set of students I’ve seen in a long time.

For more information on the design competition, contact Van Buskirk, Chapter President, at (719) 251-9788.


 Colorado State University - Pueblo is a regional, comprehensive university emphasizing professional, career-oriented, and applied programs. Displaying excellence in teaching, celebrating diversity, and engaging in service and outreach, CSU-Pueblo is distinguished by access, opportunity, and the overall quality of services provided to its students.