From roller coasters that can be assembled on campus to ride systems built for sustainability, students in the Theme Park Engineering and Design Club at ASU are learning what it takes to bring imagination to life.
The overarching aim of the club is to build a functional, small-scale roller coaster that can be assembled and disassembled and remain usable. The final product will compete at a national level in the spring, where teams from across the country are judged on their designs.
The Ride Engineering Competition saw 21 universities participating in its 2025 tournament, with over 220 students attending.
Gryffin Garcia, a senior studying architectural studies and the club's vice president, said the club brings together people from many different majors, with engineering being the primary focus.
"We will be designing a collapsible and reassembled fair ride," Garcia said. "It's a completely new concept, and we take care of the theming, programming (and) assembly."
Vidhi Dharnidharka, the treasurer of the club and a sophomore studying mechanical engineering and media arts and sciences, said she manages the club's funding and coordinates with both schools she is in to secure materials, equipment and travel expenses.
The club has entered a new position where they are eligible for more funding, as they were approved to be registered through both the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, Dharnidharka said.
"It's not just engineering, but how we get our engineering students to get more involved and learn new skills," she said. "(It's) definitely a hands-on project to get students."
The club's design concept, though still in its early development, includes a spinning feature powered by interconnected carts on adjustable rods. Dharnidharka said once the early creative process is completed, the club will begin 3D modeling and building prototypes.
Ariel Antonini, a junior studying mechanical engineering and a member of the club, said the team is developing SolidWorks and CAD models to design the roller coaster's structure and ensure it can withstand repeated setup and operation.
Antonini joined the club shortly after transferring to the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and was drawn to the way the organization merges mechanical engineering and design principles. The work is also shaping the professional goals of students beyond the industry, as the club gives them hands-on opportunities outside the confines of a classroom setting.
Though still early in the development of this year's project, Antonini said the team's enthusiasm and collaboration are what make their project stand out.
"We do have people who are very passionate about making this roller coaster project work," Antonini said. "There's also a lot of collaboration and willingness to collaborate going on, so I think that will also be helpful in terms of getting the best out of everybody."
Edited by Kate Gore, George Headley and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporter at afrahma1@asu.edu.
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Ariana is a sophomore studying Biomedical Informatics. This is her first semester with The State Press.
