Visitors to MIT on April 13 caught a glimpse of innovation in action with students carrying an 8-foot rocket and a solar-powered car driving down Mass Ave, all headed to Lobby 13. Described by MIT Rocket Team Caption Cruz Soto ’24 as a “vibrant melting pot for anything and everything engineering,” the showcase featured Arcturus, MIT Motorsports, Robo Team, Rocket Team, Design Build Fly, Solar Electric Vehicle Team (SEVT), and SPOKES. Members of the public, faculty, alumni, industry leaders, and team sponsors filled Lobby 13 to view these projects displayed together for the first time.

Motorsports and SEVT being escorted to building 13. Photo by Alex Soo '08.

Transporting projects into Lobby 13 was an event of its own. When SEVT successfully squeezed their award-winning vehicle Nimbus through the doorway with not an inch to spare, the room erupted into applause. “We loved seeing people's excitement as Nimbus was wheeled through the double doors,” says Cher Jiang ’24, SEVT business lead.

The event included a short program. Edgerton Center Founder and Director Professor Kim Vandiver shared the history of the center and student teams – some of which were founded over 30 years ago with the help of “Doc” Edgerton himself. “I was very intrigued by the rich and interesting history of the Edgerton Center, especially its namesake,” says Joshua Herrera ‘23, co-president, RoboTeam.

Following Vandiver, a student leader from each team answered popcorn-style questions about their teams, which can be enjoyed in the video below: 

“So many people from young children to faculty and sponsors all invested in our projects. It really made me realize exactly why we do the work we do. ” – Cruz Soto ’24 

Audience members and MIT students enjoyed the opportunity to ask question to these students. “So many people from young children to faculty and sponsors all invested in our projects. It really made me realize exactly why we do the work we do.” says Soto.

“Several community members have reached out to us afterwards to say with renewed vigor that they look forward to maintaining relations with our team,” – Cher Jiang ’24

Some teams even got the chance to get feedback from sponsor representatives seeing the car for the first time. “Several community members have reached out to us afterwards to say with renewed vigor that they look forward to maintaining relations with our team,” Cher says. 

The showcase was a great testament to the importance of community and the exchange of ideas. For Arcturus captain Audrey Chen’24 , “It really was incredible to see how everyone found community in building.”