Arkansas Tech University finished second in the nation in the propulsion displacement and unmanned divisions at the 2025 Promoting Electric Propulsion boating competition, which took place in April at Virginia Beach, Va.
Sponsored by the U.S. Navy Office of Naval Research and the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE), the stated purpose of the competition is to “develop the next generation of naval engineers who will lead in both maritime defense and clean-energy innovation” while “mastering systems design, propulsion theory, endurance optimization and payload management.”
ATU’s award-winning team in the propulsion displacement competition consisted of Llanzita Chea of the Bahamas, Sean Cobb of Williamston, Mich., Robin Cung of Sherman, Texas, Justin Fuentes of Russellville and Khynnedi Murry of Hot Springs.
Arkansas Tech students Isaac Broadway of Pocahontas, Charles Davis of Jessieville, Treys Smedley of Hector, Ethan Wooldridge of Booneville and Lyndon Youngblood of Ashdown teamed up to place second in the unmanned division.
In just its second year competing in the event, Arkansas Tech went head-to-head with teams from institutions such as Princeton University, the University of Tennessee, Texas A&M University, Auburn University, the University of Alabama, Vanderbilt University, Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia.
“That is what I am most proud of,” said Davis. “If you look at the list of schools we went against…budget wise and size wise…we don’t have what Princeton has. To use the resources we had available, compete against schools like that and do so well…I’m from a small town, so I have some small-town grit. I was very proud that we were able to go out there and compete against those big schools.”
This is the second consecutive year ATU has returned home from the Promoting Electric Propulsion with at least one trophy. The Arkansas Tech team of Hector Campos of Hot Springs, Brad Fletcher of Hot Springs, Carter Manatt of Hot Springs, Johnathon Poindexter of Muldrow, Okla., and Quinn Reynolds of Monticello also earned a runner-up finish at Virginia Beach in 2024.
Forty-two teams representing 35 universities competed in the 2025 event.
Arkansas Tech’s 2025 Promoting Electric Propulsion teams were advised by ATU faculty members Dr. Mohammad Amjadi, ATU assistant professor of mechanical engineering; Dr. Carl Greco, ATU professor of electrical engineering; and Dr. Matthew Young, ATU associate professor of electrical engineering.
“Our advisors can actually focus on us and make time for us individually,” said Cung. “They are involved and doing everything they can to help us achieve success in our projects and our careers.”
According to ASNE, skills developed through participation in the Promoting Electric Propulsion competition can help students prepare for careers in shipbuilding, autonomous systems, sustainability and national defense.
“Through the Promoting Electric Propulsion (PEP) workforce development program, college teams take on real-world engineering challenges aligned with today’s evolving Navy needs: build vessels that can go faster, travel farther and operate more quietly using electric propulsion,” states information provided by ASNE.
As one might imagine, waterproofing is a point of emphasis when mixing watercraft and electricity. The ATU teams’ ability to overcome that challenge was a differentiating factor in the competition.
“If one thing goes wrong with your waterproofing, your whole system is cooked,” said Davis. “That happened to a lot of teams at Virginia Beach. The waves were so bad that sometimes stuff would short out and they had to get towed back in, so waterproofing was definitely critical.”
Both Arkansas Tech teams that competed in Virginia Beach featured a mix of seniors from ATU’s computer engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering programs.
“We each brought our own strengths to the project,” said Davis. “I focused mainly on the electrical components, while others handled the mechanical aspects. Working together like that taught me how essential interdisciplinary teamwork is to a successful outcome.”
Part of that teamwork included a certain level of ingenuity when it came to creating efficiencies.
“Instead of making our own hull design, we actually found one on Facebook marketplace for free,” said Davis. “We found a guy who said that if we fixed this one jet ski we could have this other one for free. So, we fixed his jet ski, got the hull we needed and then worked on the repairs it needed. There was a lot of testing and a lot of unknowns. It was a lot of design work in the first semester.”
Cung pointed to persistence as a key characteristic in his team’s success.
“After many tries of testing the boat, we noticed there were certain things we needed to fix like the turning, the leaks and cracks,” said Cung. “We also had to achieve the battery performance we needed. We worked together as a team. Persistence was very important. We all had jobs and responsibilities, but we made time when everyone was available.”
Once the hard work of preparation was complete, the rewards of competition made it all worthwhile.
“We arrived in Virginia Beach and tested the boat before anyone else was there,” said Cung. “We tested it at sunset and it was beautiful. It was pretty amazing over there. We enjoyed the beach, and achieving second place was the cherry on top.
“To achieve what we did with what we have is amazing for us,” continued Cung. “When it was announced we got second place, we didn’t believe it at first. We soaked the moment in and cherished it.”
Cung’s team will always remember the long drive and the stop at Buc-ee’s along the way.
Davis’ team will always remember the long night in Virginia Beach repairing the outrigger on its boat that was damaged during qualifying so the craft could return to the water for the finals the next day.
They will all remember and benefit from the lessons learned.
“We learned about process,” said Cung. “We learned how to attack a problem together and achieve the best solution we can with the time and budget available. I’ll be able to implement those lessons into my career and my life.”
“With the electric cars and everything, this is something that’s about to be very relevant in aquatic situations and in the automotive industry,” said Davis. “I think this is really going to take off in the next few years, so getting that experience with electric propulsion will benefit me for a long time.”
