Mobilizing a Mascot: 2023 Alumni Cup

How many engineering students does it take to move a statue of Testudo safely across McKeldin Mall? As it turns out, eight.

Yes, the statue is a four-inch, 3D-printed replica of the real thing, and the mall, a cardboard diorama—but the feat of engineering was no less spectacular. Solar sensors, chemical reactions, and old-fashioned gravity moved the miniature mascot along an obstacle-like course to arrive at its target, earning lab coat-clad students from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering first place at the annual Alumni Cup competition on February 24, 2023 at the University of Maryland.

Two weeks of brainstorming, collaboration, and creative ingenuity put to the test within a 90-second timeframe: that’s the thrill of the annual Alumni Cup competition, hosted by Maryland Engineering each February to celebrate National Engineers Week. Sponsored by the Engineering Alumni Network, Alumni Cup challenges student teams from each of the school’s eight departments to design and build a Rube Goldberg-inspired machine that can accomplish a simple task. With two weeks and just $100, teams work around the clock to deliver complex, elaborate contraptions that ooze creativity and team spirit as much as engineering prowess.

Видео Mobilizing a Mascot: 2023 Alumni Cup канала A. James Clark School of Engineering