A Kansas State University design team is bringing a farm-and-water engineering mindset to the annual Fountain Wars competition—by building a water-powered racetrack small enough to fit inside a six-foot plastic kiddie pool. The five-member team is preparing for the 2026 event, which is set for this week in Indianapolis and will require students to move an object along a track with at least three turns and changes in elevation.
The team will compete in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) conference Fountain Wars. K-State enters the contest as the 2025 winner, a victory that marked the team’s first since 2019 and its third since the competition began in 2003, underscoring what the program has built over multiple seasons.
This year’s theme is Indy 500. K-State’s design plans include a water-driven track and a lightweight ping-pong ball as the object to be carried through the course. The scoring measures both time and track length, pushing students to balance speed, distance, and engineering execution.
Last year’s win drew on hands-on experimentation and practical resourcing, including recycled and borrowed materials and pump support from the Carl and Melinda Helwig Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. The team will be led by Riley Smart, with additional members from civil, biological systems, marketing, industrial engineering and mechanical engineering backgrounds, and faculty advising by Trisha Moore, an associate professor in biological and agricultural engineering. The story is covered by NewsRadio 1150 KSAL.