MCC’s Engineering Design Team returned as national champions from the ninth annual American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Two-Year College Division Design Competition held June 25 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The competition was part of the 2007 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition. The win marks MCC’s second national title in the past three years.
“We tend to think of athletics when we talk of national championships at Monroe Community College,” said MCC President R. Thomas Flynn. “However, our students win championships in the academic arena as well. This is a fine example of MCC faculty members successfully working with students outside of the classroom to achieve exceptional results. In addition to their studies, these dedicated students and advisors worked evenings and weekends during the past year to prepare for regional and national competitions.
“Representatives of MCC’s Engineering Science and Physics Department are to be commended for including competitive opportunities within the college experience for our students,” he said. The MCC Board of Trustees will formally acknowledge the team’s achievement at an upcoming meeting.
John Wadach, chair, MCC’s Engineering Science and Physics Department, and Don Howard, adjunct instructor, Engineering Science and Physics and Precision Tooling and Machining departments, served as faculty advisors. In addition to the national title, Wadach and Howard led the team to first place at the SUNY Two-Year Engineering Service Science Association Competition earlier this year—the college’s third state title in the past four years.
“The skill and dedication of MCC’s engineering science students are unparalleled,” said Wadach. “Our students succeeded because they were fully supported by MCC faculty and staff. This year, MCC took a commanding lead and clinched the title in the third quarter.”
The engineering team designed and built a basketball-playing robot that deposited six ping-pong balls into two 15-inch high miniature baskets in less than 120 seconds. The robot was scored according to its consistency and speed over four different trials. The team’s final score combined the robot’s performance with written and oral design reports.
The members of MCC’s Design Team include: Justin Ackerman, Matt Brady, Brian Cario, Ryan Clarke, Brendan Fitzgerald, Jon Gunn, Shawn Herrmann, Ken Hertzog, Craig Jeffers, Eric Knaak, Eric Lefler, Josh Locke, Chris Lukasiewicz, Chris Mieney, Peter Nice, Christine Pascino, Tony Perrone, Rod Quider, Jessica Regan, Adam Schmitt, Thomas Schwartz and Bill Spath.
Rosanna Condello
Public Affairs
07/06/2007 |