Volunteers Needed: Judge the NFPA Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge Midway Reviews

NFPA is seeking industry members to judge the 2024-25 Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge Midway Reviews this December and January. Students in the Challenge gain hands-on experience with fluid power components, circuits, and systems to control force and motion.

As a judge, you’ll participate in 45-minute webinars where students present their designs, mechanical drawings, and fluid power circuits, followed by a 10-minute interactive Q&A. This is your chance to provide direct feedback and insights to each team as they progress to the next stage of their project. The reviews are recorded, offering flexibility to participate at your convenience. With 25 teams competing, you can choose which reviews to attend—there’s no requirement to evaluate all teams.

With the competition expanding to three locations this year, it’s a great time to get involved and shape the future of fluid power. Typically, participation in the Vehicle Challenge is limited to Pascal Society Donors, but the Midway Reviews are open to all NFPA members*, offering a unique opportunity to engage with the competition. Whether you’re a newcomer or a seasoned participant, this is your chance to support student innovation and see the incredible work emerging engineers are doing. To volunteer as a judge or for more information, contact Mary Pluta at mpluta@nfpa.com.

Here are the participating universities:

• Cal Poly State University
• Cleveland State University
• Colorado School of Mines
• Florida A&M – Florida State School of Engineering
• Iowa State University
• Kennesaw State University
• Michigan Technological University
• Milwaukee School of Engineering
• Minnesota State University Mankato
• Murray State University
• North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University
• Northern Illinois University
• Purdue University
• Purdue University Northwest
• SUNY Polytechnic Institute
• South Dakota State University
• Tennessee State University
• Texas A&M University
• University of Akron
• University of Alabama at Birmingham
• University of California – Irvine
• University of Cincinnati
• University of Louisiana at Lafayette
• University of Utah
• Western Michigan University

*While typically reserved for Pascal Society donors, all NFPA members can participate once in the Midway Reviews, providing a glimpse into the program and the benefits of becoming a Pascal Society donor. A list of current Pascal Society Donors is available here.