SLU's Aerodynamic Design Team Sets Off for 2025 Design, Build, Fly Competition
ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis University’s Aerodynamic Design Team is heading to Tucson, Arizona, this weekend to compete in the 2024-25 Design/Build/Fly Competition. The AIAA Applied Aerodynamics, Aircraft Design, Design Engineering and Flight Test Technical Committees event began in 1996 as an opportunity for university students to apply real-world aircraft design experience by giving them the opportunity to validate their analytical studies.
The team of students in SLU’s School for Science and Engineering will compete against other university teams from across the world in a multi-day test of the flight capabilities of the unmanned, electric-powered, radio-controlled aircraft the team built earlier this year.
SLU’s Aerodynamic Design Team will compete in the 2024-25 Design/Build/Fly Competition. Pictured in the front row, from left, are Joshua Nguyen, Emily Rollins, Jessica Rutherford, Caroline Hunt, Michael (Tan) Ho and faculty advisor Susheel Singh, Ph.D. Pictured in the back row, from left, are Yoa Peralta, Lydia Backer, Ava Alton, Cameron Kernaghan and Ikran Ali. Photo by Maggie Rotermund.
Teams need to showcase balanced design with flight handling qualities, built affordably while still providing high vehicle performance.
The idea of competing began last year, as a team of SSE students sought to enter their senior design project in the 2024 competition. Their design was not chosen, but the challenge appealed to some of their classmates. The Aerodynamic Design Team set out to make the 2025 competition.
The team includes Joshua Nguyen, Emily Rollins, Jessica Rutherford, Caroline Hunt, Michael (Tan) Ho, Yoa Peralta, Lydia Backer, Ava Alton, Cameron Kernaghan, Ikran Ali, Peter Mwaura, Nomin Erdenebileg, Russel Hymel, Ahron Bloom, Danielle Rogers and Jacob Plonka. Susheel Singh, Ph.D., assistant professor in aerospace and mechanical engineering, serves as the team’s faculty advisor.
The Aerodynamic Design Team (ADT) at SLU is a student-led club committed to providing hands-on experience in aircraft design and technical writing. The team started meeting in August and submitted its first proposal in October. The proposal was accepted before the end of the year and a final report was due in February. The team also needed proof-of-concept on its plane.
The unmanned, electric-powered plane has a wingspan of six feet and can reach an air speed of 85 miles per hour. The plane will compete in four judged events over the course of the weekend and the scores will be tallied to determine a winner.
The national competition begins Thursday, April 10, and runs through Sunday, April 13. SLU’s Intelligence Community Center of Academic Excellence (IC-CAE) is supporting the team’s travel expenses, the Student Government Association (SGA) covered the cost of manufacturing and building the aircraft and the School of Science and Engineering helped the students ship the plane to Arizona.
About the School of Science and Engineering
Saint Louis University formed the School of Science and Engineering in 2022 to better meet the future needs of its students and faculty. The school brings together select departments from the College of Arts and Sciences — chemistry, computer science, earth and atmospheric sciences, and physics — with the former Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology. To learn more about the School of Science and Engineering, visit slu.edu/science-and-engineering.
Latest Newslink
- A Camp Friendship that Stirred Up Lifelong BondsIn the summer of 2005, Mary Kate Keenoy (Chaifetz Grad '22) and Genevieve Willman met at SLU's Gardens to Tables culinary camp. What started as a shared interest in cooking grew into a lasting friendship that has endured for two decades.
- Bruce Bacon, M.D.: 1949-2025Bruce Bacon, M.D., professor emeritus of internal medicine, died Sunday, July 6, 2025. He was 75. Bacon was known globally for his expertise in all aspects of clinical hepatology, specifically hemochromatosis, viral hepatitis, chronic liver disease / general hepatology, and liver transplant. Bacon was also a member of the research team that discovered the gene for hemochromatosis, HFE, in 1996.
- SLU Launches William L. Clay, Sr. Institute of Civic Engagement and Economic JusticeThe Clay Institute will provide immersive learning experiences and hands-on training that address the social and economic challenges facing the St. Louis region and the nation. Institute programming will be available to all students with an interest in civic engagement and democratic participation.
- SLU Research Explores Depression's Ripple Effect on DiabetesA study conducted by researchers at Saint Louis University found that patients with depression were more likely to have uncontrolled diabetes over time and that depression contributes to a heightened economic burden to diabetes management.
- SLU/YouGov Poll: Statewide Cell Phone Ban for Missouri Schools Popular with VotersGovernor Mike Kehoe has signed Senate Bill 68 into law, enacting a statewide ban on the use of personal electronic devices, including cell phones, tablets, and smartwatches, throughout the school day in Missouri public and public charter schools.
- SLU Vaccine Center Will Enroll Healthy Volunteers in Yellow Fever Vaccine Clinical TrialSaint Louis University's Center for Vaccine Development will enroll up to 70 adult volunteers in a clinical trial to study the safety elicited by a new investigational vaccine for yellow fever, a potentially deadly disease that is spread by mosquitoes. The research is funded by Sanofi Pasteur.
