Competition Teams & Clubs

Paddles up! The American Society of Civil Engineers Concrete Canoe Competition is an elite project to design and construct a river-worthy canoe from concrete. Strong and agile, this canoe will be tested for maneuverability and speed as it is rowed by team members in slalom and sprint races. Through the course of this competition, team members will develop and test a lightweight concrete mixture and design a hydrodynamic canoe hull to compete on race day. Individuals are exposed to multiple elements of concrete design including mixture proportioning, lightweight reinforcement methods, and formwork construction. Additionally, team members will conduct strength tests on concrete specimens and expand their knowledge of material mechanics. As a staple of civil engineering programs across the nation, the ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition provides hands-on experience in the world of construction management and builds awareness of the versatility of concrete. Furthermore, the team strives to implement the University’s Creationeering model with excellence to engineer innovative designs, foster professional and efficient team dynamics, and rely upon the Creator for inspiration!

In this ASME competition, the Human Powered Vehicle Challenge team works together to design and manufacture a vehicle that is powered solely by the rider of the vehicle. The vehicle must meet requirements specified by the competition, such as being able to withstand a certain top, side, and rollover force, reaching a certain speed within a specified time frame, turning within a specified radius, transporting a specified object, and being able to navigate different competition obstacle courses.

The team consists of seven different sub-teams that new members can join. These sub-teams are the frame, fairing, steering, drivetrain, electrical, safety, and report. All sub-teams work with the project manager, design lead, and manufacturing lead to design, analyze, manufacture, test, and improve the vehicle for the competition.

Liberty Universities Human Powered Vehicle Challenge team has had a successful history. In 2019 and 2020 they placed 5th out of 30 teams, and in 2021 they placed 4th out of 70 teams. HPVC primarily accepts mechanical, electrical, and industrial engineering majors, however, all engineering majors are welcome to join. The team currently consists of approximately 30 members.

Baja SAE challenges engineering students to design and build an off-road vehicle that will withstand rough terrain and in some competitions water. As in real work situations, these future engineers work together as a team to discover and resolve technical challenges in design, testing, and manufacturing, as well as administrative and financial issues. The most rugged of all the competitions, Baja SAE also gives students the first-hand challenge of pursuing their passion while managing real-life demands and priorities. Each team’s goal is to design and build a prototype of an all-weather, rugged, single-seat, off-road recreational vehicle intended for sale to the nonprofessional off-road enthusiast. At Liberty’s chapter of Baja SAE, the mission is to not only produce the best vehicle possible but also take it to yearly competitions and perform to a higher standard each time. The team is built to give students hands-on experience, that allows them to successfully collaborate on a team, gain management skills, focus on a final goal, and provide work that gives glory to God.

Liberty Motorsports is a competition team competing in the Formula SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) Electric Competition in Fontana California. Formula SAE is a collegiate design challenge in which university students are tasked with designing and manufacturing a Formula One-style race car that they will compete with universities from around the world in events testing speed, durability, endurance, cost, and creativity. Formula SAE Electric cars are capable of 0-60 mph in under 3.5 seconds thanks to the instant torque from the electric motors. Liberty Motorsports consists of over fifty students from multiple disciplines including mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer engineering, business marketing, project management, and strategic communications. Our team has established strategic partnerships with Hendrick Motorsports, Lynchburg Machining, Systems Engineering and Manufacturing, and Blue Origin to help make this program possible. Liberty Motorsports strives to uphold a culture of excellence and inspire innovation in order to develop the next generation of high-performing engineers who honor and glorify God.

   

LU RASC-ALs competes in NASA’s annual Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) competition. Each year, NASA proposes four themes that teams can choose to explore. Teams will create the full architecture for the topic. This year, LU RASC-ALs is designing a Mission to Mars. This mission to the Red Planet entails at least four astronauts living on Mars for a minimum of seven years. Students can learn how to apply their studies by solving problems NASA engineers work on daily.

The mission of the Student Steel Bridge Competition Team is to challenge students to extend their classroom knowledge to a practical and hands-on steel-design project that grows their interpersonal and professional skills, encourages innovation, and fosters impactful relationships between students and industry professionals.  The steel bridge team allows the student to challenge themselves in all aspects of steel design and structural analysis.  A team member can learn how to weld and fabricate a variety of things.

Liberty University’s Theme Park Engineering club and competition team focuses on all aspects of engineering theme park attractions and rollercoasters. As a competition team, we compete in the Ryerson Invitational Thrill Design Competition, which focuses both on the technical and creative sides of theme park engineering, including force analyses, vector, force, and geometric-based coaster design, and structural engineering. In addition to the competition, we will boast an array of unique coaster designs that will be designed and built by students. Ultimately, our team strives to infiltrate the theme park industry as a force for God and works to put Him first in all we do. Liberty University Theme Park Engineering is also partnered with the Themed Entertainment Association as an official NextGen Club.

VEX Robotics is a nationally recognized robotics competition in which students present innovative solutions to complex problems. Our Robotics Team uses VEX V5 materials and competes with other universities to prove themselves. Our team helps students develop problem-solving skills, teamwork, and creative thinking. Building these robots requires members to be flexible in their approach to design, as solutions often do not work the first time. Overall, VEX provides students with an opportunity to have fun building, innovating, and competing in a challenging environment that aids them in developing and honing their engineering skills.