Engineering
April 28, 2025
A never-say-die team spirit on the racetrack and a top-flight showing in the Southern California skies marked valiant efforts by two University of Portland engineering clubs at recent competitions.
UP Aeronautics Club Soars to Second Place
On the first weekend in April, the UP Aeronautics Club outmaneuvered engineering students from around the world to score a second place finish at the SAE Aero Design West Competition in Van Nuys, Calif.
The UP aero squad, led by Zachary Beck, Skylar Asher, Chase Runions, Luke Holland, Larkin Chock and Maxander Bonne, spent months designing a small, fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to take flight at the international Society of Automotive Engineers competition. The UP team piloted its radio-controlled aircraft through a series of flight mission requirements — earning second place overall in the Micro Class, trailing only a student team from China.
Shiley School of Engineering Instructor C.J. Hainley ’08, who took part in this competition as a UP mechanical engineering student, said this year’s competitors were challenged to design and fabricate a small aircraft capable of carrying a dynamic payload of water, with minimal wingspan and power output.
“It is a huge accomplishment for our UP team to place second in a truly international competition in which seven different countries were represented,” Hainley said. “Many of those universities are specialized aeronautics schools, whereas our students are mechanical engineers eager to take on a design challenge.”
“This competition is a fantastic experience for our students and shows that our program, though small, can truly compete not only nationally but internationally.”
UP EV Design Club Battles to the EV Grand Prix Finish Line
In mid-April, the UP Electric Vehicle Design Club earned praise for its resilience in getting its EV kart to the finish line at the 2025 Purdue Electric Vehicle Grand Prix in West Lafayette, Indiana.
With EV Design Club President Taylor Harris behind the wheel, the UP-designed EV kart raced into the lead on the third lap of the 22-team Collegiate Championship event. Ten laps later, as Harris attempted to pass a kart that trailed a full lap behind, the trailing kart collided with Harris and damaged the UP kart’s tie rods. Undeterred, the UP team quickly replaced the tie rods and realigned the kart, returning to the track to complete the race in 12th position.
“We learned a lot from this trip about how we prepare, communicate, organize, and perform,” Harris said after the race. “I am very proud of the team for creating a reliable and fast machine, along with their quick thinking and technical skills to get the kart back out on the track.”
Harris was joined on the EV Grand Prix team by UP classmates Trey Callahan, Walker Poyner, Owen Seeley, Arden Unger, and Ben Van Hoomissen.
“Our students represented the Donald P. Shiley School of Engineering and the University of Portland so well,” said Evan Leadem, a University staff member who accompanied the team to Purdue. “They translated their exceptional technical acumen into a car that was quick, nimble, and reliable. They demonstrated tremendous cohesion and teamwork. Seeing these exceptional students in action made me so proud to be a Pilot.”
The UP team’s participation was made possible thanks to the generosity of alumnus, parent, and Regent Rich Baek ’93, ’02, whose Vital Speed Motorsports Team provided critical financial and logistical support.
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