Rushing thrillseekers through the air at alarming speed, a roller coaster delights and terrifies. Theme parks overflow with breathless riders emerging from car trains, eagerly seeking the next attraction.
"There's nothing better than the rush of a roller coaster ride, when you're sitting in the front seat," said Brad Okeson, president of the Theme Park Engineering Group. "It's just the best thing in the world."
The Theme Park Engineering Group at Ohio State hopes to turn this passion for theme parks into a profession. Group members said one of the greatest attractions of the organization and the industry is the potential for their designs to end up as actual roller coasters.
"One of the great satisfactions with engineering is when you make a finished product, you get to see it in use," said Doug Woeste, a sophomore in civil engineering. "With theme park engineering you get to see people having fun with (your finished designs), get to see the smiles on their faces."
The organization formed in February, when a general interest e-mail sent out by the founders generated more than 50 responses. Since then the club has hosted a number of activities, including educational trips to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, and the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions convention in Florida in November. Though they do not yet qualify for funding as a student organization, group members said they hope to achieve the status soon.
"This group is all student generated, motivated, organized, and self reliant," said Dennis Guenther, a faculty adviser to the group and professor of mechanical engineering.
The organization is planning a trip to Cedar Point next week to study amusement parks in the off season and visit some of their favorite roller coasters, including the recently released "Maverick." They are also inviting guest lecturers to their meetings to discuss various aspects of the industry, organizing an educational day for local high school students and collecting a library of information on amusement parks for use by their members and the OSU community.
Members said the organization has helped them develop an interdisciplinary approach to their studies, both in and out of the classroom and will also give them some leverage when seeking employment in the theme park industry.
"From an educational standpoint I think it's one of the best clubs there is because (the science) is not too difficult and not too basic," said Dan Linden, vice president of the organization and a junior in mechanical engineering. "Everyone can get involved."
Linden remarked that the club involves more than just engineering. "There's also communications, marketing, logistics, business ... the potential to have the whole campus involved in this one club is a unique thing that almost no other clubs have."
The Theme Park Engineering Group meets tonight at 8:30 p.m. in room 0054 of Scott Laboratory. The Web site is
themeparkeng.org.ohio-state.edu.
Rachel Lichtenfeld can be reached at lichtenfeld.6@osu.edu.
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