Unmanned Systems Research Institute
Student Design Projects & Challenges
Speedfest
The World's Most Challenging UAS Design Competition
Speedfest is a unique aerospace design competition with classes at both the collegiate and high school level. Rules for each class are given before the start of the fall semester, and the competition is held at the end of April. Students at the collegiate level designed, built, and flew airplanes to a rigorous set of specifications to meet mission goals. For the first time, the aircraft were powered by small turbojets. Students at the high school level built airplanes from kits to race. Included with the kits were information to teachers to help them teach the fundamentals of aeronautics, and to excite the students about aviation topics. This year was the first in which teams of teachers were also allowed to compete. The effort is a collaboration between the Oklahoma NASA Space Grant Consortium, Boeing, American Airlines, Spirit Aerosystems, and Oklahoma State University.
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Cowboy RocketWorks
High Powered Rocketry
The OSU rocket program develops and evaluates new technologies for small high powered rocket systems working with partners such as Honeywell and Kratos. These systems are also tested in the laboratory for academic experiences through the rocket lab in the senior aerospace propulsion and power course, on-going graduate and senior design projects, graduate and undergraduate student research, and the Cowboy RocketWorks high-powered rocketry club, which has won the Argonia Cup every year since its inception in 2017.