At 7:30 a.m. on April 17, the first of 481 little handmade boats attempted to circumnavigate ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s Reflecting Pond. Crafted by first-year engineering students, the armada included classic wood monohulls, catamarans designed with soda bottles and even a few submarines. Each boat will carry an orange as its passenger, as the event’s name, the Great Navel Orange Race (GNOR), suggests.

β€œSome boats make it around the pond, some spin around in little circles and some sink β€” designing, building and racing an autonomous (self-guided) vessel is quite difficult,” says Jacqueline Sullivan ’87 ’91MS, instructor of the Introduction to Engineering course that culminates with this final project.

Beyond a passing grade, a coveted grand prize is up for grabs for the team of the fastest vessel: a four-year McGraw book, e-book and software scholarship for each team member.

Male student with curly brown hair in pink shirt and khaki pants kneels at edge of pond, holding a small constructed boat above clear water.
This year’s Great Naval Orange Race stipulated students could not use foam in the design of the autonomous vessels they built as part of their semester-long project in the Introduction to Engineering course. (Photo by Antoine Hart)

The race, in its 29th year, has all the components for innovation and potential for a mess. The classes of budding engineers have grown to nearly 2,000 students who form hundreds of teams. They’re using advanced technology and more components.

With this in mind, perhaps the most amazing aspect of the event is that it has become more orderly than ever, with races starting every 10 minutes for nine straight hours. There is no waste, in terms of time or materials.

β€œSustainable engineering,” Sullivan calls it, before admitting, β€œbut it wasn’t my idea. Race day used to be a bit chaotic until Mason [Clewis] came along.”

It’s been only two years since Clewis, a senior photonic science and engineering student, recognized an opportunity to create a perfectly tuned e-waste recycling system, a timeline even he can hardly believe.

Blonde male wearing bright blue shirt and sunglasses holds yellow bin under a tailgate tent, surrounded by tools and recycled materials.
Mason Clewis coordinates recycling on site at the Great Naval Orange Race. (Photo by Antoine Hart)

β€œThe students are doing at this level what SpaceX and NASA are doing at the highest level β€” reusing and recycling.” β€” Jacqueline Sullivan, instructor

β€œAt first, I thought I’d run a recycling booth by myself and maybe reuse the boat parts or sell them on eBay,” he says. β€œBut it’s grown beyond me, to multiple departments and a network of volunteers. It’s all happened fast and naturally.”

The magic begins as each race ends. Participants who don’t advance to the final rounds take their boats to a tent where students disassemble each craft with the speed of NASCAR pit crews. They pull out batteries, computer chips and servomotors. Stainless steel screws and hardware are also collected. Whatever is left of the hulls is crushed and deposited into recycle bins.

The oranges are saved for other races.

As the day progresses through dozens of races, the lawn around the Reflecting Pond never changes from its original condition: a green carpet, in perfect spring form.

β€œThe students are doing at this level what SpaceX and NASA are doing at the highest level β€” reusing and recycling,” Sullivan says. β€œThat’s why I say Mason is my hero.”

A photo collage of three boat designs floating in clear water
Engineering students construct their vessels for functionality but are also encouraged to show off their creativity in their design. (Photos by Antoine Hart)

A Village Beyond the Tent

Clewis watched his first GNOR as a curious freshman. He’d been working on his own capstone project β€” developing a temperature-controlled fan. During the races, a few of his internal wheels started turning when he noticed boat carnage spilling from trash cans and onto the lawn.

β€œSome of the parts on the boats were the same parts I needed for my own project,” he says. β€œI know plenty of students like me who don’t want to shell out $100 for the same perfectly good batteries, chips and sensors that are being thrown away. Plus, I’m interested in entrepreneurship and keeping the environment clean. So, I took the basic idea for a recycling booth to Miss Sullivan.”

“That’s the most rewarding aspect for me: the lasting impact β€” a positive, mutually beneficial impact. The campus looks better. Students can access free parts for their projects. Everyone has fun. There is no downside.”” β€” Mason Clewis, student

The power of organic growth took root when Sullivan put Clewis and his project partner, Chris Lesniak, in touch with Jim Essad, manager of the machine shop sciences program. When students from ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s Robotics Club found out, they offered to disassemble boats on race day and organize parts for future reuse. Word then spread to College of Engineering and Computer Sciences Facilities Operations Manager Pete Alfieris, who offered recycle containers and golf carts. Don Harper ’88, manager of the Texas Instruments Innovation Lab, said he’d gladly take the discarded wood and barely-used hardware for the next cohorts to access for free.

β€œI never thought so many people would want to be involved,” Clewis says, β€œbut we’re helping others and there’s something inherently attractive about that.”

Two male students in black T shirts hold constructed boat at table under tailgate tent
Two engineering students visit the recycle tent at the Great Naval Orange Race. (Photo by Antoine Hart)

Students want to be involved. Faculty and staff want to be involved. In the past 24 months, the savings in money and materials has been incalculable. The cycle feeds itself with the rare combination of sustainability and scale.

β€œMason started doing the right thing about a need when no one was looking,” Sullivan says. β€œNow everyone is looking.”

E-Cycling into the Future

Clewis was in the recycling booth again for this year’s GNOR, but with a slightly different purpose: Teaching freshmen how to run the show.

β€œI won’t be here in a couple of years, but someone else will keep it going,” he says. β€œThat’s the most rewarding aspect for me: the lasting impact β€” a positive, mutually beneficial impact. The campus looks better. Students can access free parts for their projects. Everyone has fun. There is no downside.”

Four college students wearing yellow shirts and jean shorts hold a yellow vessel with "SS Minion" written on body of boat
Created by Professor Manoj Chopra, the Great Naval Orange Race has been a tradition for engineering students at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ for nearly 30 years. (Photo by Dana Weisman)