News from Grand Valley State University

GVSU engineering students featured in Cast in Steel series

Engineering students made their YouTube debut July 16 during the Cast in Steel series, a show that follows collegiate teams as they recreate a historically inspired George Washington sword using modern engineering.

Sparks fly as mechanical engineering major Scott Strayer grinds a sword for a video crew at the Kennedy Hall of Engineering
Sparks fly as mechanical engineering major Scott Strayer grinds a sword for a video crew at the Kennedy Hall of Engineering in 2025. The GVSU Casting Club is featured in a YouTube episode that debuts July 16.
Image credit - Cory Morse

The GVSU Casting Club competes annually against other collegiate teams in the competition sponsored by the Steel Founders' Society of America. Teams build their interpretations of historic weapons and tools, which are tested during competitions on durability, build quality and other criteria.

Watch the Cast in Steel episode. The episodes were filmed in 2025. 

This past April, the Padnos College of Engineering hosted nearly 60 university teams competing in the Cast in Steel competition at the Shape Corp. Innovation Design Center, where the challenge was a horseman's axe.

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