The McMaster Undergraduate Seismic Design Team recently participated in the 2017 Seismic Design Competition held in Portland, Oregon. This international competition hosts undergraduate teams from across the globe, including Romania, Turkey, and the Dominican Republic. This year, the Mechanical Engineering department  at McMaster University graciously let the team use their laser cutting equipment to make the build process faster and more efficient. This build strategy proved to be successful as McMaster’s structure survived all three ground motions and had the 6th best performance in terms of minimizing damage during the earthquake. Not only did McMaster’s structure prove to be well designed and built, but it was also “purchased” for $250 during the silent auction after a bidding war by two interested parties.

Overall, McMaster placed 22nd out of 33 teams due to penalties in scoring caused by inconsistencies in floor heights, but the team had learned a lot, had fun, and made meaningful friendships and connections with people from all over the world. The team is very excited to carry forward what was learned this year to the upcoming competition in Los Angeles.