ET Foundation announces Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition winners

The ET Foundation has recognized seven winning designs, including two professionals and five students, in its 2018 Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition. Bonnell Aluminum in Newnan, Ga., an AEC member company and sponsor of the competition, announced $14,000 in student scholarships and cash awards.

Micaela Morris, director of business operations at Roll-a-Cover Intl., Bethany, Conn., received the grand prize of $3,500 for the company’s customizable, retractable glass enclosures. The aluminum sections are preassembled in the manufacturing plant, and the extruded panels and wall sections are delivered to the job site for installation. The 6061 T-6 multi-hollow aluminum extrusions are “highly structural and lightweight compared to steel” and allowed the company “to have flexibility with product designs, colors, and ease of use during installation,” explained Morris in the entry.

The winner in the transportation category for the professional class was Michael van der Bent of Schiedam, Netherlands, earning him a $2,000 cash award for his design of the Curvetrike, an extreme curving tricycle for racing that uses curving motion to create a forward momentum.

Five students were recognized in the student class:

1. Sydney Smith, Purdue University, received the $3,000 first-place scholarship for her N-Former outdoor informational box design, which uses aluminum extrusion in the base and height-adjustable post.
2. Tessa Barnes, Southern Illinois University, received the $2,000 second-place scholarship for her Extension prosthetic device for musicians, which allows someone missing a portion of their arm to hold a brass instrument.
3. Bheumsoo “Kyle” Kim, Purdue University, received the third-place $1,000 scholarship for the Foldo folding wheel barrow, which uses aluminum extruded parts for portability.
4. The $2,500 sustainable design scholarship winner was Jon Beldner, Purdue University, for his Blade home aquaponics system, which uses aluminum extrusions with built-in grip areas for removal of the grow bed and the pivoting grow light.
5. Emma Jacobs, Sherwood High School, Sherwood, Ore., was recognized with a $500 honorable mention scholarship for her Alum Shoe, an aluminum track that can be fitted with a rubber pad for applications such as automated minesweeping vehicles that clear land in conflict zones and snowcats for mountain rescue missions.

The winning designs can be viewed at www.etfdesign.org.