Student ProjectsToronto Metropolitan Thrill Design Invitational
Project Manager
Charles Kalousek, Theme Park Engineering and Design Group (TPED)
Amount Requested
$5,000
Summary
The Toronto Metropolitan University Thrill Design Competition is an amazing opportunity for Northwestern students to work through real theme park design challenges at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. In past years, challenges included specific assignments related to mechanical design, safety and accessibility, interactive attractions, and several attractions design challenges involving the NoLimits model, complex story, technology, and environmental constraints. This is the premier opportunity for Northwestern TPED members to cultivate industry-specific skills, work on challenges designed by industry professionals, and network with other students. Though our club is still fairly young, this contest has played an essential role in our overall development and has helped us establish our place in the industry. The results go far beyond an award or trophy, leaving our participants with invaluable industry experience and interdisciplinary skills.
Planned Activities/Investments
The invitational activities include multiple competition challenges following an open qualifier event over the summer. Although the competition is held under NDA and specifics about the challenges are not released publicly, our team was invited to focus on technology design this year. Below is an excerpt from the invitation.
Challenge 5: Technology design: Design and present a technology enhancement for an assigned technical component, system, or function commonly found in amusement rides and devices. This enhancement may improve one or more of the following: safety, sustainability, reliability, or performance of the amusement ride or device as a whole.
Your team will require members with these skills and knowledge, and the ability to apply them to the design: Mechanical, automation controls, and structural knowledge, including common components, the morphology of common amusement rides, and devices. Operational considerations of theme park attractions and technical support to amusement rides and devices.
Impact
Our project will positively impact our members significantly (undergraduate engineering students of various backgrounds and disciplines). This unique opportunity helps members connect with the theme park industry and work across disciplines to create amazing experiences.
Deliverables
Challenges - Technology Design/TBD
Previous Projects
Sending our team to the Toronto Metropolitan University Thrill Design Competition at Universal Orlando was an amazing experience, not only in terms of learning the ropes of working in the themed entertainment industry, but in making invaluable connections for our members, many of whom have long-term career goals oriented in the themed entertainment environment. Our team was able to meet many other students from other universities with a keen interest in themed entertainment work, as well as career specialists and executives from Universal Creative, who were judging the competition, allowing us to show our work in front of several impactful people in the industry. The competition gave us a chance to understand what it’s like to work in the environment of a theme park, considering many facets of the job like customer satisfaction, demographics, and other important logistics needed for ride and show engineering. In 2023, our team of six ended up winning a commendation for “technology innovation and technology integration,” and in 2024, we earned an additional commendation for "technology enhancement". Our club has also seen an increase in recruitment following participation in the contest, with four active interns/employees working for Universal Studios and Walt Disney World in 2025.
Budget Overview
- Flights - $3,000 (6 people)
- Hotel and Contest Fees - $2,000 (6 people)
Total Budget Amount: $5,000
Faculty Adviser/Department
Ilya Mikhelson/Electrical and Computer Engineering