County students honored at KSU tractor design contest

Two Marion County students were part of Kansas State University teams that placed in the top five this month in an international design competition for quarter-scale tractors.

Hillsboro High School graduate Jesse Meier, now a biological systems engineering major at K-State, was part of a seven-member team of freshmen and sophomores that placed second.

Marion High School graduate Nicholas Meyer of Tampa, now a biological systems engineering major, was part of a similar team of juniors and seniors who placed fifth.

The teams competed June 2 to 4 in Peoria against more than two dozen other teams from the U.S., Canada, and Israel to design tractors judged for their innovation, manufacturability, serviceability, maneuverability, safety, sound level, and ergonomics.

It was the 19th time in 20 years that one of K-State’s teams had placed in the top three at the event, sponsored by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.

A panel of industry experts judged each team’s design as presented in a written report and a sales pitch. Machines also are put to the test in tractor pulls and on maneuverability and durability courses.