Ready, Set, Compete!
Join a competition team! Take what you learn in the classroom and apply it to a design project. Our teams rank high at both regional and national levels and are open to any major. And, due to a generous endowment from William Sholl BSCE `33 and June Sholl , the Sholl Student Competition Fund covers most competition expenses.
Polar Robotics
Polar Robotics participates in the Collegiate Robotic Football Conference (CRFC). The team designs, builds, programs, and competes with robots in a competitive full-contact game of football. Students are able to take on a wide range of projects from component improvement to an entirely new robot being developed. Team leaders and senior engineers provide regular feedback and guidance, ensuring that every member can contribute meaningfully to their projects while developing valuable skills. This is an excellent opportunity to take the knowledge / skills taught in the classroom and apply them to real world applications in a team environment. Participants will develop their skills in engineering design, modeling, programming, fabrication/manufacturing, problem solving, communication, teamwork, and project & time management.
Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition
The IGVC team participates in the Intelligent Ground Vehicle competition. This competition challenges teams to design, build, and operate a ground vehicle capable of navigating and operating without human intervention. It is an enriching experience that extends beyond theoretical knowledge, immersing students in the practical aspects of robotics and autonomous vehicles. Participation in the IGVC offers students a unique opportunity to apply their classroom learning to real-world scenarios. Team members are responsible for creating mechanical and electrical components, engaging in hardware design, and conducting software development. This is a great opportunity to learn about applications of artificial intelligence, sensor integration, and real-time data processing.
BAJA
Baja SAE challenges engineering students to design and build a custom off-road vehicle that will survive the severe punishment of rough terrain – and then drive that car as hard as possible, competing against top engineering schools across the country. Through Baja, students work as a team to discover and resolve technical and economic challenges in the design, testing, and manufacturing of their vehicle.Contact: polarbearracing@onu.edu
AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is a professional organization which focuses on aerospace engineering, sciences, and industry. The 91Ö±²¥ Student Chapter of the AIAA seeks to introduce students who aspire to an aerospace career to the profession. One of the primary events in which the club participates is the SAE Aero Design competition. For this event, the team designs and builds a radio-controlled aircraft on their own, and then flies the plane in international competition. The team manufactures and assembles all of the parts in-house, which provides an incredible opportunity to get hands on experience and knowledge. Ohio Northern placed 7th in the world in the 2022 competition, and recently placed 19th in the 2024 competition.
Rocketry Club
The Rocketry Club offers students hands-on experience in the exciting and challenging field of high-power rocketry. Members apply engineering, design, and fabrication skills as they work on a variety of high-power rocket projects. The club emphasizes technical growth, with new members focusing on earning their Level 1 High Power Certification—a key step that introduces them to essential skills for building competitive rockets. The team also designs and constructs rockets for national competitions, including the prestigious Argonia Cup.
HERC
NASA HERC is a new competition team on campus that provides members with valuable engineering design experience. Inspired by the Apollo and Artemis missions, this club involves the design and building of a two-person pedal-powered rover, and a multi-purpose tool. The team participates in an annual, international competition to prove their vehicle capabilities by navigating obstacles and performing simulated moon missions.
Steel Bridge Team
The Steel Bridge Design Team provides students with hands-on experience in bridge construction through participation in the Student Steel Bridge Competition. This competition challenges student teams to develop scale-model steel bridges, engaging in various stages including modeling, analysis, design, fabrication, assembly, and testing. Teams are assessed on criteria such as design aesthetics, construction speed, structural strength, and overall efficiency. The overarching goal is to apply classroom knowledge to a practical steel-design project, fostering students' interpersonal and professional skills, promoting innovation, and cultivating relationships with industry professionals. Annually, teams fabricate and assemble their bridges under timed conditions, subjecting them to load testing to ensure compliance with competition regulations.
Concrete Canoe Team
The ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition offers students an excellent chance to design, construct, and race a full-scale prototype of a concrete canoe alongside schools in our region. The competition provides students with hands-on experience, allowing them to test their skills in concrete mixture design, hull design, construction, aesthetics, technical writing and presentation, and project management challenges.
Estimating Team
The 91Ö±²¥ estimating team participates in an annual competition sponsored by the Ohio Contractors Association (OCA). This competition is comprised of 12 universities from across the state of Ohio with each team consisting of six members. The team spends approximately eight hours compiling written proposal documents, working papers, support data, and bid forms for a specific state construction project. Following submission of the prepared bid, oral presentations are delivered to a panel of OCA members. The competition emphasizes student learning in a time-compressed nature, which includes critical thinking, making assumptions, communication, and organizational skills.
IEEE SumoBot Competition
IEEE students attending the Student Activities Conference have the opportunity to compete in an autonomous sumo-style robot fighting competition. Two robots face off against each other in the dohyo ring trying to push each other outside of the ring in order to win. The best in two out of three rounds wins the match! Student teams have the opportunity to design, build and program their robots to impose their own strategy in attempting to win the match.
IEEE Micromouse Competition
IEEE students attending the Student Activities Conference have the opportunity to design, build and program a small, autonomous "mouse" robot that should be capable of traversing a maze of standard dimensions from a specified corner to its center in the shortest time possible.