While our student clubs provide an opportunity to apply the disciplinary expertise developed through our academic curriculum, they also provide the opportunity to develop community and gain important leadership, communications, and project management skills through a dynamic experiential learning environment.

Chem-E-Car 

The annual Chem-E-Car Competition, hosted by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, challenges students to design small-scale automobiles that operate by chemical means, along with a poster describing their research. At the competition, they must drive their car a fixed distance carrying a payload down a wedge-shaped course. The exact payload and distance is revealed one hour before the competition, and the cars must operate using “green” methods which do not release any pollution or waste. Students must work together not only to creatively design and build a functional Chem-E-Car, but to problem-solve and adjust their calculations on the fly.

Create@Cooper

Create@Cooper is a student-run community dedicated to empowering the students of The Cooper Union to create innovative new products. The group provides opportunities for sharing skills, showcasing projects, and building connections within the NYC ecosystem through workshops, guest speakers, trips to museums and maker spaces, and the annual Hack Cooper event, a 24-hour hackathon competition aimed at inspiring the inventions of tomorrow.

Cooperloop

The Cooper Union Hyperloop team is a multidisciplinary group of students who compete in the SpaceX Hyperloop Competition, which began in 2015. The competition supports the development of functional prototypes and encourages innovation and multidisciplinary collaboration by challenging student teams to design and build the best high-speed pod. Cooper’s Hyperloop team combines knowledge in mechanical, civil, electrical, and chemical engineering to develop and fabricate the pod, while applying knowledge in design and architecture to draft plans and make them tangible.

Motorsports 

Cooper Motorsports began in 1994, bringing together engineering, art, and architecture students. Over the years, the team has evolved from building small, off-road vehicles to Formula SAE cars. Since 2004, the team has built open-wheeled racing vehicles akin to Formula 1, every year pushing the limit of what is possible to compete at the Michigan International Speedway. From state-of-the art materials like carbon fiber, to a cutting- edge Aerodynamics package, the team has not only advanced their technical knowledge, but also their connection to the world at large. Those who come through Cooper Motorsports go on to shake the foundations of the companies they work for and find ways to make a positive impact on the world, one design at a time. Watch them.

Steel Bridge

The Cooper Union Steel Bridge team competes in the American Institute of Steel Construction Student Steel Bridge Competition. This is an annual competition that challenges student teams to develop a scale-model steel bridge. The team must determine how to fabricate their bridge and then plan for an efficient assembly under timed construction at the competition. Bridges are then load tested, weighed, and judged on both performance and aesthetics. The Steel Bridge team challenges engineering students to work collaboratively and adapt to real-world constraints.