TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ­ Fishing was a favorite pastime for Scott Renner of Montgomery, until the activity became nearly impossible for him after he was paralyzed from the neck down eight years ago in a diving accident. But now a new fishing rod, designed by a group of University Alabama engineering students, will help return his independence.

To make the enjoyment of fishing attainable for people like Renner, mechanical engineering students in the UA College of Engineering recently used their skills to design fishing rods which can be used by quadriplegics, completing the group projects as the culmination of their senior design class. The students designed and built the devices for several handicapped "clients," to allow them to cast and reel in a lure using a breath control method known as "Sip'n'Puff," by changing the air pressure within a straw.

"The user will first sip on the mouthpiece, which will pull the rod back and begin to set the distance. The more the user sips, the farther the rod will cast, and puffing will release the line. And finally, after the cast has been made, the user puffs and the reel-in process begins," said Clay Rikard, senior design student. The design uses a series of motors and elastic components in order to cast the fishing rod various distances, he explained.

The clients, including Renner, recently tried out their new fishing equipment in a classroom demonstration.

"This new design will allow more independence and add a challenge to my recreation," Renner said. He added that this will make fishing more of a sport for him, allowing for the development of the additional skill of using the Sip'n'Puff method to cast and reel the rod.

Renner, an assistant training specialist with the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation services, sparked the idea of designing fishing rods for quadriplegics, suggesting the project to the UA mechanical engineering department about three months ago. "I have used electric reels, but I miss the actual casting and reeling that makes fishing a sport," Renner said.

The Sip'n'Puff projects will also be entered in this year's American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) design competition. The top two UA student groups that meet size constraints, use a ZEBCO Snoopy fishing rod, meet budget limitations, restrict the number of motors and solenoids used, and are able to hit different targets chosen randomly will go on to the ASME regional level. In the regional contest, students will put their designs to the test against mechanical engineering students from other universities across Alabama, and the winners will continue to the national competition.

"This assignment has been drastically different than anything else we have ever done in engineering," said Rikard. "Meeting the ASME competition requirements is very challenging, but when working with Mr. Renner as our group's client, the project became more personal, driving us to work that much harder.

"This class has solidified many concepts that we have studied, but never applied. Being able to purchase the parts, build something, and actually benefit another person while putting our design to use has completed the gap from the academic world into the real world," he said.

Dr. Beth Todd, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering who teaches the class, said this project is unique. "This has provided the first opportunity for the students to take knowledge from a number of other courses and combine it to solve a problem," Todd said.

The students' use of theoretical knowledge gained in previous classes to create a mechanical system is a very attractive attribute to prospective employers, said Todd. "They see that these future mechanical engineers can actually make what they study in class rooms come to life and benefit other people."