The University of Rhode Island’s Promoting Electric Propulsion (PEP) team proudly earned first place in the Budget Warriors category at the 2025–2026 PEP competition held on Wednesday, April 15. The competition is co-sponsored by the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR). The team received support from the URI Navy STEM Program ANCHOR contract and various industry sponsors.

The seven-member team of engineering undergraduates spent two semesters designing, building, and refining a high-performing craft for under $1,500. Traveling to Portsmouth, Virginia, the team’s competition efforts resulted in a score of 86 out of 100 across both technical documentation and on-water performance, outpacing competing schools and covering the greatest distance in their division.

Students on the winning team were:
Samual Miller 
Julie DesAutels
Shubham Chomal
Leo Tourgee
Nicolas Lyons
Jacob Dickstein
Roman Taylor