The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) will hold its annual Student Design Competition on Sunday, Nov. 15th, 2009, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., during the 2009 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition. The ASME Student Design Competition is held each year in conjunction with the ASME Congress and aims to challenge the creative and problem-solving skills and abilities of tomorrow’s engineers.

The theme for this year’s competition, Mars Rocks, requires participating student teams to design and build a radio-controlled vehicle prototype that could be used to collect and retrieve rocks on Mars that would later be analyzed to determine if life had ever existed on the planet. Teams have assembled from all over the world in order to take part in this challenge, some coming as far away as Egypt and Singapore to compete. The annual ASME Student Design Competition offers students the opportunity for hands-on experience while working with a team to find solutions to actual design challenges.

The ASME Student Design Competition is just one of the many events that will be a part of the 2009 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, which will be held November 13th-19th, at the Walt Disney World® Dolphin Hotel.