Instructor guides students tracking the sun
At the October 2025 Solar Track Meet, first-year students present their team-designed autonomous solar trackers for peer judging.
Students across the college begin turning theory into action early on, starting with two Engineering 102B projects.
First-year students in the required course design and build autonomous trackers that follow the sun’s movements and measure solar energy. Then they peer judge one another’s projects at the annual Solar Track Meet. The second project, presented at Engineering Discovery Day in November, is a topic of their choice.
The college established the Solar Track Meet in 2022 with support from ongoing sponsor the Salt River Project utility company. In 2025, the event transitioned to the inaugural project for the four-year Craig M. Berge Engineering Design Program, which culminates with Design Day, where seniors showcase their year-long industry-sponsored projects.
“This event is the first step in understanding what engineering is really about,” said Elizabeth Hutchinson, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and ENGR 102 instructor.