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Tennessee State University’s Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge team just wrapped up an incredible experience at the NFPA’s national finals in Sarasota, Florida last week and we came home with recognition that means everything to us.
Mechanical Engineering Faculty Dr. Habibi led ME students in this challenge. Competing against eleven schools nationwide, our team faced real challenges head-on, problem-solved creatively, and supported fellow competitors along the way. That combination of resilience, collaboration, and generosity caught the eye of industry judges, who awarded us the Judge’s Choice Award for Perseverance. Over a full school year, our team designed and built a human-powered fluid power vehicle, merging two engineering disciplines that don’t often intersect. The challenge tested not just our technical skills, but our ability to iterate, adapt, and bring our vision to life under pressure. Deeply grateful to the  National Fluid Power Association  for this opportunity to learn and grow in this innovative field of technology, and to  Sun Hydraulics  for hosting the competition, opening their doors, and supporting all the teams with generosity and expertise.  This project would not have been possible without the gracious support of the sponsors:  IFP Motion Solutions Inc. ,  IMI ,  Parker Hannifin | Hydraulics ,  Applied Fluid Power ,  SunSource ,  Motion , and more.  Huge respect to team members who gave everything on the track, in the demonstrations, and in presentations to industry professionals:  Jesse Punzalan , Sa’Mya Quinney,  Brandon Dickenson ,  Jheremy Hussey , and  Ndiouga Niang . 10 years running, and this competition continues to showcase the next generation of fluid power engineers. We’re honored to be part of this legacy.