Penn State's Chem-E Car Team poses for a photo with their poster. Credit: Courtesy of Mechteld Hillsley.
Penn State Chem-E Car Team qualifies for national competition
Sept 23, 2025
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s Chem-E Car Team, part of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) student chapter, earned a spot at the 2025 national AIChE Student Conference after a strong showing at the Mid-Atlantic regional competition held in April at Lehigh University.
The team placed sixth overall out of 18 teams and won first place in the poster competition for their car, which features a student-built combustion engine powered by homemade ethanol fuel — the first successful use of this design by a Penn State team in several years, according to Mechteld Hillsley, the club’s advisor.
In Chem-E Car competitions, teams build small cars powered by student-designed systems — including batteries, pressure vessels or combustion engines — and must also construct a chemical clock to precisely time how far the car travels. The required distance is revealed on the day of the event, and teams must quickly calculate the correct chemical reaction parameters.
During the regional competition, Penn State’s car overshot the target distance of 27 meters on the first run and fell slightly short on the second attempt due to a cautious adjustment, according to Hillsley. Despite the challenge, the team’s innovative design and performance secured their invitation to compete nationally in Boston from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3.
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