Case Western Reserve University

Current Students

• CSE Home Page
• About the School
  • Dean's Welcome
  • History
  • Facilities
  • Fast Facts
  • Marketing & Communications
  • Directory
• Future Students
  • Undergraduate Programs
  • Undergraduate Admission
  • Graduate Programs
  • Graduate Applications
  • Experience-based Learning
  • Financial Aid
  • For Parents & Families
  • Visit Case
• Current Students
  • Academic Programs
  • Undergraduate Co-op Education
  • Graduate Co-op Education
  • Global Exchange
  • Competitions
  • Community Outreach
  • Engineering Reading Room
  • Career Services
  • Student Forms
• Departments & Faculty
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Civil Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering &
    Computer Science
  • Macromolecular
    Science & Engineering
  • Materials Science &
    Engineering
  • Mechanical &
    Aerospace Engineering
• Centers & Institutes
  • Applied Polymer Research
  • Center for Layered Polymeric Systems
  • The Cleveland Functional Electrical Stimulation Center
  • Computational Genomics and Systems Biology
  • Electronics Design Center
  • Great Lakes Energy Institute
  • The Institute for Management and Engineering
  • Mechanical Characterization of Materials
  • Modeling Integrated Metabolic Systems
  • The National Center for Space Exploration Research
  • Neural Engineering Center
  • Swagelok Center for Surface Analysis of Materials
  • Yeager Center for Electrochemical Sciences
• Research
  • Engineering News
  • Find Faculty By Research Area
  • Nanobook
  • Team Case/Urban Challenge
  • Undergraduate Research
  • Technology Transfer
• Corporate Partners
  • University Corporate Relations
  • Corporate Partner News
  • Opportunities to Engage
  • Student Co-op Employer Information
• Alumni & Friends
  • Case Alumni Association
  • Alumni Admissions Program
  • Alumni Career Network
  • University Alumni Relations
• Philanthropy
  • Meet Our Team
  • Priorities
  • Annual Fund
  • Planned Giving
  • Ways to Give
  • Make a Gift
• Distance Learning (ITN)
• Casebook

ENGINEERING COMPETITIONS

Testing the Limits

Many engineering students are crazy about competitions, and those at the Case School of Engineering are no exception. From Lego robots to model bridge building to battery-powered cars, future engineers put their education to the test in battles of will, skill and, sometimes, student-made machines.

DARPA Grand Challenge
In its first appearance in the DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) Grand Challenge for autonomous robotic ground vehicles at the former George Air Force Base in Victorville, Calif., TeamCASE and its self-driving robotic car DEXTER finished in the top 20 out of an initial international field of more than 80 competitors, beating schools such as Caltech, Georgia Tech and Princeton.

FIRST Robotics Team Competition
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) uses wholesale marketing and media techniques to motivate high school students to want to learn about science and technology. The national championships of the FIRST robotics competition teams up professional engineers with high school students from across the country.

Lego Robot Competition
In conjunction with the annual Engineer’s Week, the Case School of Engineering invites teams of high school students to participate in the Lego Robot Competition and the Engineering Challenges Carnival. Middle school students are allowed to watch, but not compete in the Lego Robot Competition. The Carnival is opened to all--from preschool to adults--but activities are geared toward middle school.

Model Bridge Building Competition & Eveready Battery-powered Car Contest
The Departments of Civil Engineering and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering co-sponsor two design competitions to encourage high school students with an interest in engineering design.

Northeast Ohio Regional Science Olympiad
The Center for Science and Mathematics Education hosts the annual Northeast Ohio Regional Science Olympiad for local middle and high school students. Over 600 students representing more than 20 schools come to campus each February to compete in a wide variety of science and engineering events. Winning teams advance to state and national competitions.

Ridge Tool Design Competition
More than $11,000 in prize money was awarded during the first Ridge Tool Design Competition at Case Western Reserve University in May. The four teams ranging in size from one to six members spent five months developing the most compact, light weight, innovative self-contained pressing tool for joining copper tube and press fittings. Ridge Tool Company, part of Emerson Electric and maker of RIDGID brand pipe, sponsored the design competition and hopes to make it an annual event. Besides giving real world experience for young entrepreneurs at the Case School of Engineering, the company provided students with tools, and materials including a $2,000 budget to create a prototype to demonstrate their ideas. Students also had access to Ridge Tools prototyping facilities, as well as its staff for consultations.