CAMP
CAMP is a competitive, nationally recognized program that brings together students,
faculty, and industry leaders to partner on real-world projects. Students participating
in CAMP can be part of a team preparing for a wide range of national collegiate competitions
ranging from robotics to rockets to race cars. CAMP is open to any South Dakota Mines
student, any year, any discipline. No prior experience is necessary; just a desire
to learn something new. The point of CAMP is to experience how different skill sets
and viewpoints work together to achieve meaningful results.
CAMP Mission & Vision
Through participation on competition teams, the mission of CAMP is to develop well-rounded scientists and engineers that are prepared and eager to make meaningful contributions to society.
CAMP seeks to challenge students to become effective communicators and collaborators with a deepened capacity for self-reflection, empathy, and creative problem-solving.
Teams
The Aero Design competition tasks student teams with designing, manufacturing, and flying a remote-controlled aircraft. The specifics change every couple of years, but in general, the categories in which a team can compete are micro class, regular class, and advanced class.
The Baja team constructs a mini-Baja buggy to compete in both dynamic and static tests. Static events include a cost report and cost reduction report submitted before the competition, a business presentation, and design presentations. Dynamic events include acceleration, maneuverability, hill climb, and suspension – pushing the car to its limits and challenging the drivers!
Students participating in the Clean Snowmobile competition aim to design the "cleanest" snowmobile possible in terms of emissions while matching the same performance metrics as sleds currently on the market.
The ChemE Car team is challenged each year to design a new shoebox-sized vehicle that starts and stops based on a chemical reaction. When they arrive at the competition, the team does not know how far the vehicle must travel. They are only told the distance one hour before the competition and must use that limited time to fine-tune their chosen reaction.
Members of this team design, construct, and compete in a canoe made entirely of concrete! Each year, the design rules change to reflect industry developments and promote growth and sustainability in design and material use. The competition consists of writing a project proposal, giving a technical presentation, building a canoe, and racing against other schools' canoe creations.
The Esports program at Mines currently participates in seven major Esports titles, including Apex Legends, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (SSBU), League of Legends (LoL), Overwatch 2 (OW2), Rocket League, Valorant, and the newest addition, Rainbow Six Siege (R6). Our Varsity rosters compete in several different tournaments, the South Dakota-born Collegiate Champions League (CCL), the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC), and Octane Collegiate.
The Formula Hardrocker Racing team designs, builds, and competes with a formula-style autocross vehicle. The team contends in four dynamic events: autocross, endurance, skid pad, and acceleration. They are also judged in three static events: business presentation, cost report, and design tent. The competition is designed to evaluate both the performance of the car and the teamwork and leadership skills of the team.
The Mines Association of Rocketeers, also known as MARS, competes at the annual Spaceport America Cup. It is one of the largest intercollegiate rocket engineering competitions for student rocketry teams. There, teams launch solid, liquid, and hybrid rockets to target altitudes of 10,000 and 30,000 feet.
The Moonrockers compete in the Robotic Mining Challenge. In this competition, students design and program a robot to make its way through a lunar field with obstacles such as rocks, craters, and a surface layer of dusty limestone. The robot needs to mine down and collect material below the surface layer before returning across the field and depositing it. The goal is to obtain as much material as possible during the run; additional points are awarded for autonomous operations.
RoBoat Robotics competes at the RoboBoat Competition, which challenges the team to create a small, autonomous boat that can navigate a course while performing various tasks. These tasks include obstacle detection and avoidance, navigation, and targeting.
Members of the Rocker Robotics team vote at the beginning of each year to determine which competition they'll attend to test their skills. The contests typically involve building and operating land-based wheeled or tracked vehicles. The team has competed in ASME robotics challenges, the National Robotics Challenge, and the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition in past years.
The South Dakota Mines Steel Bridge Team designs and fabricates a scale steel bridge to compete in the American Institute of Steel Construction Student Steel Bridge Competition. The exact specifications for the bridge change each year, but the rules generally require the bridge to be about 24 feet long, able to hold 2,500 lbs. of steel, and deflect no more than 3 inches. The team is judged on how quickly the bridge can be built during the competition, as well as its weight, deflection, and aesthetics.
The goal of Mines' Supermileage team is to create a vehicle that is as fuel-efficient as possible. At competition, each vehicle gets a limited amount of fuel and completes a set number of laps around a track. The amount of fuel left at the end of the run determines the vehicle's miles-per-gallon – and who gets Supermileage bragging rights for the next year.
The Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) team participates in the Student Unmanned Aerial Systems (SUAS) competition, where teams aim to achieve the best time in a delivery drone-style competition. They are given target identifiers and must correctly determine their locations before safely releasing a payload to land in the predetermined area.
CAMP Facilities
Personnel
Kirstie Petersen, CAMP Director
Office: CM 209
Phone: (605) 394-2227
Email: Kirstie.Petersen@sdsmt.edu
The daughter of two South Dakota Mines alums, Kirstie Petersen had an early interest
in materials science, and a "Go-To-Mines" tour of the metallurgy department made her
decision to enroll an easy one. Kirstie earned her bachelor's degree in Metallurgical
Engineering in 2016 and her master's degree in Materials Engineering and Science in
2022. While pursuing her master's, she also participated in Mines' entrepreneurship
programs, winning the Braun Award, which supports patent filings. Professionally,
Kirstie spent about four years at Logan Aluminum in Kentucky and later worked as a
technical sales engineer for RPM Innovations in Rapid City. She was named director
of CAMP in January 2026.
"I've always found I learn better through hands-on learning, and I like having an
outlet for an engineering brain to work on projects both inside and outside of work,"
Kirstie said. "At the heart, that's what students are doing in CAMP and what makes
the program special."
Ryan Koontz, Manufacturing Specialist
Office: CM 208
Phone: (605) 394-6885
Email: Ryan.Koontz@sdsmt.edu
Dr. Ryan Koontz earned his bachelor's (1998), master's (2001), and doctoral (2017)
degrees in mechanical engineering from South Dakota Mines. After completing his master's,
Ryan was an instructor in Mines' mechanical engineering department until he accepted
the integrated manufacturing specialist position at CAMP in 2002.
Here, Ryan assists students, faculty, and staff with the design and manufacturing
of parts for CAMP-sponsored projects. In pursuing his PhD, Ryan studied the relationship
between students' emotional intelligence and how they solve engineering design problems.
In addition to applying this research to educate design engineers, he also serves
as the producibility engineer for all senior design and student projects that involve
the use of CAMP's Advanced Manufacturing Lab or CAT Lab.
Ryan’s HIGH5 Strengths: Optimist, Brainstormer, Thinker, Deliverer, Believer
Amber Kraft, Coordinator
Office: CM 209
Phone: (605) 394-2500
Email: Amber.Kraft@sdsmt.edu
Amber Kraft holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Science from South Dakota
State University. She also has a background in administration and customer service
in the agriculture, heavy equipment, and construction industries.
In her role as coordinator, Amber provides support to CAMP teams through their project
design, creation, and implementation, and coordinates all team purchases and travel.
She manages CAMP's student staff and facility operations, and she is the central point
of contact for all CAMP inquiries. Amber is known for her excellent organizational
and customer service skills and ensures CAMP teams have what they need to succeed.
Amber works directly with our students, coaching them to develop their skills and
function effectively.
Amber’s HIGH5 Strengths: Empathizer, Believer, Strategist, Philomath, Thinker
