Current members of Drexel’s undergraduate student organization, the Theme Park Engineering and Design Group (TPED), recently completed the assembly and testing phase of a scaled-down version of an amusement park ride.
Matt Giovannucci, a senior in electrical engineering; Zach Marker, a senior in mechanical engineering and mechanics; Matt Wiese a junior in mechanical engineering and mechanics, and Harrison Katz, a junior in mechanical engineering and mechanics, modeled the prototype after a vertical spinning thrill ride at Dorney Park called, The Enterprise. The design, fabrication, and assembly were completed solely by undergraduate students in the organization, with aesthetic changes to be made over the next upcoming weeks. According to Dorney’s website, The Enterprise has 20 cars that hang from a large horizontal “wheel.” The wheel spins in a clockwise direction, and then is raised by a large hydraulic arm to a vertical position. When vertical, the ride spins its riders upside down. TPED’s version of this ride stands four feet tall when fully extended, with a span of three feet in diameter. Staying true to the real life ride, TPED’s prototype has its own cars that swing in the same way as riders on The Enterprise experience, and the group plans to incorporate LED lights to replicate the appearance of The Enterprise, but with a Drexel yellow and blue paint scheme. The project was completed mostly in the machine shop with the help of the 3D printer in Drexel’s Expressive and Creative Interaction Technologies (ExCITe) Center.
“Projects like these combine the equations and concepts learned in the classroom with hands-on experience by applying engineering knowledge and education,” says Harrison Katz, current president of TPED. The goal of the organization is to promote the theme entertainment industry, which includes anything from themed amusement parks to themed hotels and casinos, to undergraduate engineering students, giving them the resources necessary to bridge the gap between theory in coursework and applied learning in a fun and unique way.
Participating in the student organization means traveling to amusement ride manufacturers or to parks like Knoebels Amusement Resort to get backstage tours of how rides function; contributing to annual projects funded through Drexel’s Student Activity Fee Allocation Committee (SAFAC) to build prototypes of rides or work on the design and manufacture of animatronics. The group also participates in conferences and competitions that are well known throughout the industry such as those hosted by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), ASTM International (American Society for Testing and Materials), and Ryerson University’s THRILL (Tools for Holistic Ride Inspection Learning and Leadership). Attending these events offer students the opportunity to network with influential members of the theme entertainment industry. Many members of Drexel’s TPED have obtained co-op opportunities at companies such as Disney, Universal Studios, Oceaneering, and more.
The next project is already being conceptualized and the group is currently seeking members. In addition, new members are encouraged to help select projects that the group will work on throughout the academic year. The group currently meets every Thursday at 6:30 PM in the ExCITe center. For more information about the Theme Park Engineering and Design Group, please visit www.drexeltped.com or contact Harrison Katz at hzk27@drexel.edu.