MSU led a field of 18 collegiate teams in the three-day event that featured highly engineered “super bikes” in a series of races and challenges down Garfield Ave. and around the MSU campus as engineering students put their pedal-powered prototypes to the test.

“The ASME’s international Human Powered Vehicle Challenge provided an opportunity for students to demonstrate the application of sound engineering design principles in the development of sustainable and practical transportation alternatives,” said Chris Jenkins, MSU mechanical and industrial engineering department head and adviser to the MSU team. “In the HPVC, students work in teams to design and build efficient, highly engineered vehicles for everyday use — from commuting to work, to carrying goods to market, to fast-paced recreation.”

For the first time, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers event was held in Montana, hosted by MSU. It is the sixth time an MSU team competed in the event. The event included a design review, sprint events, a utility vehicle endurance competition and a speed endurance event. Teams from the U.S., India and Egypt were among the 150 engineering students that participated.