Intro to Engineering students race cardboard boats as part of final project

Montana Technological University students put their newfound engineering skills to the test in the college’s pool on Tuesday as they raced boats they designed and constructed out of cardboard and duct tape.

The final project for Introduction to Engineering requires students to split into groups of three and design, construct and race cardboard boats 50 meters in the Montana Tech pool while carrying two team members.

“We had two lab periods to work on our boats, but most of the teams needed hours outside of class to complete the project,” said Trista Redfield, a geological engineering junior from Twin Bridges.

Redfield gathered cardboard from her place of employment, a preschool. The team then used paper models to pick a design.

The team of Zackry Merrill, from Idaho, Connor Konda from Butte, and Noah Huffaker, from Butte, designed their boat with cardboard they recycled from Summit Beverage. The vessel included a stern featuring a large cutout of the rapper Snoop Dogg.

“This was pretty fun,” Konda said.

Boat designs ranged from boats with pontoons, a boat with the name “Palindrome” painted on the side, octagonal boats, pentagonal boats, and boats made of boxes so big it looked like they may have once held refrigerators.

Some boats sank before the starting whistle ever blew, while others not only completed the race, but also some other self-imposed challenges.

The team of Sullivan Panisko, of Butte, Kendall Wiseman, of Missoula, and Katelyn Lockmer, of Butte came dressed to go for a swim, in dressy clothing that was an homage to “Titanic.” But at the end of the day, the boat won its heat by a great distance to cheers of classmates and onlookers. After all the other boats had raced, the team tried to fit as many people as possible within the hull. The sturdy design held five women and showed no signs of sinking anytime soon as it paddled around the pool. The team stayed dry.

“This project is a great opportunity for students to see the engineering design process from developing a project specification through the design and build process,” Mining Engineering Faculty Member and First-Year Engineering Coordinator Christopher Roos said. “In fact, quite a few groups leaned that the best design may even need some adjustment during the construction process as reality enters the equation. It’s also a fun way to wrap up the semester with a ‘splash’ before final exams begin next week.”