RAPID Announces 2nd Annual ChemE Cube™ Competition

After a successful pilot in 2021 in Boston, RAPID Manufacturing Institute® is proud to announce that we will be hosting an extended pilot ChemE Cube™ Competition taking place November 14, 2022 in Phoenix, AZ. RAPID invites any undergraduate student team to participate.

What is ChemE Cube™?

Launched in 2020 by the RAPID Manufacturing Institute®, ChemE Cube is an annual student competition where undergraduate university teams design, build, and demonstrate a 1-cubic-foot plant to produce a chemistry defined in the annual problem statement.

Teams compete on cube performance via a head-to-head duel and promote their technology through a 1-minute ad, poster, and 20-minute “shark tank”-style pitch to a panel of mock investors.

Learn more about ChemE Cube.

2021 ChemE Cube Competition

Student teams from five universities — Carnegie Mellon, Missouri University of Science and Technology, NC State, University of Delaware, and University of Pittsburgh — participated in the pilot competition (2020–2021 season) on November 8, 2021 at the 2021 AIChE Annual Meeting in Boston, MA. The University of Delaware team ultimately won first place at the inaugural competition.

How to Participate & ChemE Cube Timeline

1. Before March 31: Sign your team up for a Virtual Qualifying Presentation Time Slot 
2. April 13–15: Your team presents their virtual qualifying presentation via Zoom to a panel of judges (make sure to review the rubric ASAP!)
3. May 1: The 10 teams who scored the highest in their presentations build their cubes
4. August 23: 2022 ChemE Cube Competition Prep Call via Zoom
5. October 14: Engineering Design Package (EDP) submission due
6. October 28: The ad submission due
7. November 14: 2nd Annual ChemE Cube Competition, Phoenix, AZ

Sign up your team today.

Are you a professional interested in getting involved? Sponsorship and volunteer opportunities are available. Contact ChemECube@aiche.org.