Michigan Tech featured NX at PACE Course Competitions

Each year, PACE (Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Education) faculty initiate course competitions in more than 20 computer aided design, engineering graphics, computer aided engineering, and computer integrated manufacturing undergraduate courses at all levels. The PACE course competition can be readily integrated into an existing CAD/CAM/CAE engineering or design course that involves a student project using PACE software tools, no matter how elementary.

Over fifteen hundred students at more than 20 PACE Institutions interact with industry experts and receive feedback on their projects through PACE course competitions annually. Company

representatives witness first-hand the capabilities of students, potentially resulting in internship or employment opportunities. Company participants join the students either on campus, or

virtually via teleconference.

Overview of the competition at PACE site:

The ENG 1102 PACE competition is a friendly competition between Michigan Tech freshmen that allows students to combine creativity and engineering concepts to develop an eccentric concept that one day may be the next revolutionary item. This competition also allows students to show off their newly learned Siemens NX skills to help build their resumes to better chances for future employment.

This year’s winning design was a human powered vehicle created by a group of mechanical engineering majors. Their project featured a highly integrated NX model of an off-road all terrain handicap tricycle. The goal of the design was to create a vehicle only powered by a human, but the group went above and beyond by creating a design that would enable handicap users to enjoy the thrills of mountain biking.
The use of Siemens NX software played a major role in bringing their sketch to a 3-D interactive model. This realism made it possible to easily visualize their design to make modifications. They also incorporated it into their final presentation by creating a simulation to show the moving parts of their vehicle.
“About a year ago I attended an expo in St. Paul, Minnesota where six astronauts, including Buzz Aldrin, came and spoke about their experiences in space and what they think the future of aerospace will be. At that expo, I met Karen Nyberg, a mechanical engineer, who spent a total of 180 days between 2008 and 2013 at the International Space Station. She inspired me to become interested in aerospace and continue my pursuit towards a mechanical engineering degree”.