SPEED Teams

Design a single-seat, all-terrain vehicle good enough to thrive in the sand, snow or wherever the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) sends you. Go head-to-head against other schools from around the world.

Design, build and test a prototype open-wheel racecar from the chassis up as part of Formula Knights Racing, a.k.a. Mini Indy. Once you're ready to race, you'll put wheels to the pavement at the Michigan International Speedway.

Build a next-gen hybrid snowmobile that uses Flex-Fuel and electric power for an environmentally friendly, quiet ride. Work closely with corporate sponsors, who provide up-to-the-minute components.

Super-fast — and super-clean: that's the goal behind the Electric Knights, the SPEED Team developing and coordinating our all-electric open-wheel racer. 

Design and build a shoebox-sized car that stops and starts using just a chemical reaction. Your car is judged by how closely it covers a given distance — but the catch is, you won't know that goal until just before the competition. 

Your mission: develop a plane that meets the requirements set by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Then, head to Arizona or Kansas, which alternate as hosts to the annual competition, and take to the skies against the best aero schools in the world.

Cheap people-powered transportation could be a game-changer in remote, developing regions. Go wheel-to-wheel with 50 other schools in this annual competition sponsored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Into e-bikes? This is your team, as AMSE has added electrical assist to the eHPV Challenge.

Design and fabricate from the ground up a Submersible Autonomous Underwater Vehicle to perform underwater functions and participate in the MATE-ROV competition with the goal of attending RoboSub in the future.

Clarkson's newest SPEED Team: Over the year the team develops and flies a rocket to over 10,000 feet for the Spaceport America Cup in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Competing against over 100 of the best teams from across the globe, this is the most prestigious rocketry competition in the world.

Can you pull together an RFP for a major construction project in just 13 hours? At the annual conference and job fair hosted by the Associated Schools of Construction, prepare to split into teams to craft workable proposals.

Design and construct a take-apart steel bridge that’s easy to build, relatively light and able to withstand incredibly heavy loads in an annual competition sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). 

Forget about carbon, kevlar and other lightweight materials — in this competition, you vie to see who can paddle the fastest (and stay afloat) in a concrete canoe.

Combine engineering skills with community outreach as you work with local groups to design, fabricate and install a timber frame bridge.