UNL Fountain Wars team wins competition

July 26, 2016

Lincoln, Neb. — The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Fountain Wars Team, made up of students in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering, took first place at the 2016 American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) annual meeting July 20 in Orlando.  In the past three years, the UNL team has won twice and placed second once. 

Fountain Wars is a hands-on competition in which a team of up to six students design a fountain to complete challenges using the necessary PVC pipes, couplers, fittings, valves, nozzles and pumps.  Awards are based on the combined scores of a written report, oral presentation, video abstract, construction, technical tasks and aesthetic display.  The two assigned tasks for the 2016 competition were “Beach Ball High Jump” and “Rescue the Dolphin.” Similar to previous years’ tasks, the primary constraint of this project was the exclusive use of water power in the final design. 

“Fountain Wars provides students with a valuable experience in design, construction, hydraulics, mechanics and teamwork,” said Derek Heeren, assistant professor in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering and team advisor. Assistant Professor David Mabie also serves as a team advisor.

Team members:

• Ellen Emanuel: Agricultural and biological systems engineering graduate student 
• Mitch Goedeken: Agricultural and biological systems engineering graduate student
• Paulina Guzek: Biological systems engineering undergraduate student
• Mitch Maguire: Agricultural and biological systems engineering graduate student, team captain
• Doug Rowan: Biological systems engineering undergraduate student
• Anna Siebe: Mechanized systems management graduate student, team captain

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