Design I Final Competition
Fall 2021WELCOME TO THE DISASTER RAPID RESPONSE CHALLENGE
Welcome to the Fall 2021 Disaster Rapid Response Challenge where the top Design I teams (as picked in preliminary in-class competitions across 28 sections) showcased their final solutions and competed for prizes in an in-person digital poster pitch competition. The semester’s wicked problem was “Rapid Response to Disasters,” where we were seeking opportunities to improve information gathering, vulnerability reduction, detection, equipment, materials, smart technology, systems, and more that reduce loss of life and other undesired impacts throughout the disaster management cycle. Solutions designed by student teams should represent creative, novel responses to some facet of the challenge. With emphases on social dimensions of the problem and the socio-technical intersection, the brunt of solutions are technical in nature, but may touch on any technical field: electrical, mechanical, civil, environmental, computer science, chemical, geological, materials, mining, industrial, etc. (read the full Call For Proposals here).
Teams compete for cash prizes, including a special Subject Matter Expert Pick. Below you can see the grand prize winning teams as well as all of our finalists. Check out their poster presentations next to the team information below. For more information on Design I, click here.
THE WINNING TEAMS
1ST PLACE: P.A.T.H.
Problem Statement: How to best design a temporary housing structure that is durable, sustainable, and easily distributable?
Team Members: Christopher Currie, Robert Gorling, Eugene Lee, Dillan Miller, and Micah Peterson
Instructor: Odessa Gomez, Section I
2ND PLACE: SAM’S CLUB
Problem Statement: How can we decrease the negative physical effects on wildland firefighters from transporting necessary tools and equipment for fighting wildfires?
Team Members: Noe Avila, Alaina Clar, Samuel Eggers, Brianna Fava, and Sophia Mulholland
Instructor: Kelly Pickering, Section K1
3RD PLACE: WATER WRANGLERS
Problem Statement: How might the team reduce motor vehicle related deaths in floods?
Team Members: Noam Ayalon, Jacen Brown, Joshua Rouault, and Henry Sells
Instructor: Brian Johns, Section Z1
SME AWARD: P.A.T.H.
Problem Statement: How to best design a temporary housing structure that is durable, sustainable, and easily distributable?
Team Members: Christopher Currie, Robert Gorling, Eugene Lee, Dillan Miller, and Micah Peterson
Instructor: Odessa Gomez, Section I
THE FINALISTS
Section A
Team: Hogscape Mitigation
Problem Statement: How might we help mitigate the $52 million dollars of agricultural damage in Texas each year cause by wild boars?
Members: Mark Bedson, Cassidy Chvatal, Charles Holub, Joshua Lee, and Caleb McGrath
Professor: Ryan Meyer
Section B
Team: The Fish Gods
Problem Statement: How might we decrease the effects of global warming of high altitude streams by decreasing the pollutants and excess sediments that are released into water from agriculture?
Members: Kacie Arellano, Finn Loper, and Paige Yarbrough
Professor: Emily Sievers
Section C
Team: Team Life Savers
Problem Statement: How might we use technology to identify and locate victims in an emergency within a wide variety of conditions faster than current sources?
Members: Genesis Gonzalez, Andrew Price, Jack Culp, Rebecca Brown, and Weston Wall
Professor: Odessa Gomez
Section D
Team: FireBirds
Problem Statement: How might we improve response time in structure fires?
Members: Georgia Burns, Nicolas Carrasco, Katie Chiu, Jayson Martinez, and Ryan Pike
Professor: Bridget Wetzel
Section E
Team: The Bee Team
Problem Statement: How might we save the bees?
Members: Kyra Frank, Maximo Massa, Victor Viola, Ethan Roberts, and Cloe Emnett
Professor: Donna Bodeau
Section F
Team: MDOT
Problem Statement: How might we better manage traffic and minimize accidents at intersections when power is cut off?
Members: Michael Berg, Timothy Daigre, Nick Fernhout, Leland Heinicke, and Jack Martin
Professor: Garrett Erickson
Section G
Team: Snow Busters
Problem Statement: How might we improve emergency response efficiency in winter storm conditions?
Members: Chadin Groen, Elijah Gutierrez, Jaxon Kelly, Michael Kietzman, and Nathan Pierce
Professor: Garrett Erickson
Section H
Team: The Hotshots
Problem Statement: How might we reduce smoke exposure of wildfire firefighters?
Members: Neil Reich, Emma Benzie, Elliot Sakimoto, Haley Hansen, and Samuel Zadel
Professor: Cara Juergensen
Section I
Team: P.A.T.H.
Problem Statement: How to best design a temporary housing structure that is durable, sustainable, and easily distributable?
Members: Dillan Miller, Christopher Currie, Eugene Lee, Robert Gorling, and Micah Peterson
Professor: Odessa Gomez
Section J
Team: Clean Air Crew
Problem Statement: How can we improve the ambient air quality in the average household?
Members: Joseph Van Pelt, Brendan McLane, Cooper Eisman, and Gunnar Ulrich
Professor: Cara Juergensen
Section K
Team: Saving Soil
Problem Statement: How can we detect contaminated soil early?
Members: Richard Agyemang, Hector Carrete, Michael Hess, Aliya Marillo, and Camille Neuder
Professor: Mark Florida
Section K1
Team: Sam’s Club
Problem Statement: How can we decrease the negative physical effects on wildland firefighters from transporting necessary tools and equipment for fighting wildfires?
Members: Alaina Clar, Samuel Eggers, Brianna Fava, Sophia Mulholland, and Noe Avila
Professor: Kelly Pickering
Section L
Team: The Anti-Pyros
Problem Statement: The Catex: Vehicle Fire Suppressant System
Members: Noah Hendricks-Hernandez, Gazi Md Iftakher Morshed, Benjamin Vander Ploeg, and James Watts
Professor: James Watts
Section L1
Team: Mighty Magnitudes
Problem Statement: Decrease the probability of injury and death of occupants inside buildings during an earthquake.
Members: Brandon Bayer, Max Shepherd, Malcolm Andersen, and William Bobby
Professor: Brian Johns
Section M
Team: Dream Shakers
Problem Statement: How might we reduce the impact of hydrological hazards on petroleum pipelines in order to minimize the amount of chemical spills?
Members: Raistlynn Baros, Joel Diaz, Matthew Eich, Madeline Inge, and Millenni Lucero
Professor: Traci Case
Section N
Team: Project O.S.R.
Problem Statement: How can we improve the response time of oil spills in the ocean to speed up environmental recovery time?
Members: Brock Ewing, Luke Jensen, Adam Nussbaum, Carson Richardson, and Jarod Schahrer
Professor: Cindy Athanasiou
Section O
Team: Team Smolder
Problem Statement: Campers in the backcountry lose control of their fires, causing catastrophic wildfires
Members: Justin Collier, Ethan Paul, Ross Hodson, and Colton Wall
Professor: Chris Rusin
Section P
Team: Mud Dawgz
Problem Statement: How might we minimize or prevent highway damage and closures from mudslides?
Members: Jonah Bertolino, Caleb Frink, Timothy Hoffman, Ethan Kunze, and Isaac Wallen
Professor: Cindy Athanasiou
Section Q
Team: CA$HE Design Team
Problem Statement: How might we reduce the loss of pet and human life from domestic house fires, wildfires, natural disasters or emergencies?
Members: Cole Patton, Alfonso Serna, Erik Biggins, Salem Bin Zaqr, and Hasan Alhajrasi
Professor: Mark Orrs
Section R
Team: The Five Fives
Problem Statement: Reducing time needed to repair electrical power lines post disaster.
Members: Hunter Bayles, James Colbert, Michael Hargraves, Theodore May, and Alexa Semeyn
Professor: Mirna Mattjik
Section S
Team: Safety Net
Problem Statement: How can we provide improvements upon existing navigation and communication infrastructures?
Members: Aaron Nguyen, Dylan Cormican, Lakin Moser, Shawn Muhr, and Trevor Harms
Professor: Yosef Allam
Section T
Team: South Table Solar Team Engineering (Grand Challenges Section)
Problem Statement: EGC addressed: Make Solar Energy more economical: “How might we optimize solar panels to increase efficiency and require less maintenance?
Members: Dean Plummer, Tim Zitzman, Eugin Pahk, Matt Lizak, and Garrett Thompson
Professor: Alina Handorean
Section U
Team: The DESIIGNERS
Problem Statement: How can we minimize the physical damages experienced by schools during flooding?
Members: Emily Knight , Sara Larson , Kurtis Quant , Shay Smith , and Sidney Wilson
Professor: Sue Anderson
Section W
Team: M.I.L.K.
Problem Statement: How might we help prevent wildfires caused by campfires?
Members: Lucas Baker, Camilla Potz, Van Holmstrom, Nico Gonzalez, and Jace Lasater
Professor: Trish Littmann
Section X
Team: Sigma Solutions
Problem Statement: How can we reduce the number of seat belt related fatalities on highways?
Members: Alex Hansen, Bradley Harrod, Caden Stickens, Iain Hamilton, and Lewis Weaver
Professor: Mirna Mattjik
Section Y
Team: UR Ready?
Problem Statement: How do we help U.S. residents prepare their homes and themselves for natural disasters based on their geolocation?
Members: Bayard Cadwell, Widney Gay, Sovann Sam, Svetlana Sedova, and Adam Soileau
Professor: Brian Johns
Section Z
Team: Team Non Mech-E
Problem Statement: How might we help identify if the water level in the aftermath of flooding is safe to traverse for both civilian and emergency vehicles during times of emergency?
Members: James Leishman, Finn Burns, Julianna Glover, Stephen King, and Erik Swanson
Professor: Kim Trenbath
Section Z1
Team: Water Wrangler
Problem Statement: How might the team reduce motor vehicle related deaths in floods?
Members: Henry Sells, Jacen Brown, Joshua Rouault, and Noam Ayalon
Professor: Brian Johns