Andrew Smith, a mechatronics engineering technology student at Purdue University Northwest (PNW), was part of a three student team that won the 2021 Amazing Packaging Race at the annual Pack Expo trade show in Las Vegas. Smith, a fourth-year student at PNW, along with teammates Anna Troutt of Virginia Tech and Serena Pu of California Polytechnic State University, were able to complete a series of challenges across four exhibit halls to win the $3,000 prize.
The competition required competing teams to search the exhibit halls to find the ten booths that had specific tasks to be completed by each team. Tasks included completing math problems related to packaging, executing functionality of a company’s machine or learning about a company’s machines and services and then answering related questions. Each team was given a list of ten required tasks and ten bonus tasks. Smith’s team was able to complete all ten required tasks plus six bonus tasks.
The Pack Expo is an annual trade show that connects consumer goods companies with manufacturing solutions in packaging and processing.