Rising like no other, UW-Green Bay Sheboygan Campus wins Collegiate Rocket Competition
Congratulations to Patrick Isken, Owen Rubenis, Dylan Schmidt and Ryan Bucholz, UW-Green Bay, Sheboygan Campus students and advisor, Prof. Bill Dirienzo (Physics, NAS), on winning this year’s Collegiate Rocket Launch Competition!
The competition is open to Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium (WSGC) member schools for teams of 4-6 students. There are no other requirements. The teams design and build a custom high-powered rocket according to the competition guidelines, including a challenge unique to each year’s competition. Team members build the rocket and its internal electronics. They use software like CAD and RockSim to design and simulate the rocket design before building.
Eight colleges and universities participated in the program. Taking second place was UW-Platteville and in third place was Marquette University. The overall winners receive a cash prize. The first-place team will be invited to Sierra Space Badger Army Ammunition plant in North Freedom, Wis. for a VIP tour.
According to Dirienzo, the team had to write three reports over the course of the year, do a low-powered test flight on campus with a tiny model rocket, give a presentation, and successfully launch the rocket at Bong Recreation Area in Kenosha County in April.
The students will now present about their rocket at the annual Wisconsin Space Conference in August, sponsored by WSGC and this year held at MSOE.
Dirienzo said he wished to thank technical advisors Randy & Carol Lutz, campus members who supported the team, and WSGC for funding the program. The rocket can be seen by stopping by Dirienzo’s office, Brotz Science Building 6103. Download and watch the video of launch, flight and on-board:
Photos from the Green Bay Campus:
Student Elizabeth Heinen applies epoxy to rocket fins
UW-Green Bay Phenoms Rocket on the launch rail
