The University of Southern Indiana’s Solar Splash Team brought home an array of honors at the annual solar boating competition in Springfield, Ohio. The team, consisting of seven students, advised by Dr. Paul Kuban, Professor of Engineering, earned first place in the sprint and slalom events and took home second place overall.

The competition, often called the “World Championship of Collegiate Solar Boating,” challenges students to apply engineering skills in a real-world, hands-on environment.

This year’s team of USI engineering students built and designed a craft from the ground-up, marking a significant comeback for the team with a completely reimagined solar-powered boat utilizing resources from across campus.

Following a challenging competition year in 2024, the student team spent a year designing an entirely new craft featuring a highly efficient and maneuverable hull, built using a “stitch and glue” technique for durability and ease of construction. The boat also featured a high-capacity design and substantial improvements in accessibility and component standardization for easier maintenance and troubleshooting.

In addition, students researched and implemented a reliable solar and electrical system with built-in redundancy to withstand the rigors of competition week.

“There’s no substitute for preparation,” said Jacob Mills ’25. “This year, we brought a finished boat that had been built with all the improvements learned from previous years. We are very happy to have our hard work pay off.”

Though the team faced challenges in the endurance race, running out of power and encountering a steering issue in the first round, they adapted quickly. By rebalancing weight distribution and adding real-time voltage and current monitoring, they doubled their performance in the second round. Those learnings will continue to influence future designs and future teams.

“With what we know now from the second endurance race, we will be far more competitive next year,” said team member Zoe Tucker, who will return to USI this fall for her senior year.

With continued support from faculty advisor Dr. Paul Kuban and access to USI’s state-of-the-art facilities, the team plans to refine their award-winning design for next year’s competition.

“The Engineering Department at USI promotes hands-on learning and real-world experiences,” says Kuban, “and our excellent performance at Solar Splash is indicative of the efficacy of that educational priority.  I am extremely proud of these outstanding students.”