As a bright green canoe glided quietly across the Susquehanna River May 18, Bucknell University electrical engineering graduate Brennah Kennedy '26 saw more than a successful test run. She saw a year of design work come to life — powered entirely by the sun.

Kennedy and Nate Siegel, Heinemann Family Professor, associate chair of mechanical engineering, put their solar-electric boat through its first on-water test at the Shikellamy State Park Marina during the week of May 18. The project, which Kennedy completed through an independent study, is intended to serve as a foundation for future Bucknell teams to compete in collegiate electric boat competitions.

"The purpose of building the system is to have a foundation that students can build on with the intent of participating in an electric boat design competition," Siegel says.

Kennedy, who is from Montoursville, Pa., needed a final academic credit for her sustainable energy concentration in electrical engineering and sought out the project as a way to complete her degree credit outside the traditional classroom.

Working with Siegel, Kennedy designed and built the boat's power system, while Siegel contributed the canoe that became the vessel's platform.

The collaboration was notable for crossing disciplinary lines, pairing an electrical engineering student with a mechanical engineering professor.

Using competition guidelines as a starting point, Kennedy developed system-level designs and created a power system capable of future upgrades.

"I wanted a system to be scalable," Kennedy says. "We wanted to be able to increase the voltage and build on what we started."

The project moved steadily through the academic year, though not without challenges. During indoor testing shortly before the end of classes, the team discovered a faulty solar controller.

"We had the main brain of the system worked up, but we ran into a roadblock with the solar," Kennedy says. "One controller was not working. But after we corrected that, the system worked well the day we tested on the water."

The successful river test validated months of work and offered a glimpse of what future student teams might accomplish.

"We pushed as far as it could go," Siegel says. 'A boat has a limit in that it can't go any faster unless you change the hull design, which is something we could do as a senior design project."

For Kennedy, the most memorable part was experiencing the boat on the water — her first time in a boat.

"It is really quiet, and it's nice knowing you’re driving this boat with renewable energy and not polluting," she says. "It's not harming aquatic life. It was calming, so I saw the appeal of boating."

"It doesn't go fast enough to be scary," Siegel adds with a smile.

The prototype is intended to support future participation in competitions such as the Promoting Electric Propulsion Competition, sponsored by the U.S. Office of Naval Research, or Solar Splash, a collegiate solar-electric boat competition.

"The idea will be to ultimately design and build a boat to compete in one or both events as a senior design project, possibly as early as next year," Siegel says. "The prototype that we built gives them a good starting point."

Development is already continuing. Kellen Welch '28, a mechanical engineering major and member of the Bucknell men's basketball team, is working on upgrades this summer, including integrating a larger 24-volt DC outboard motor, donated by Nathan Kahle, supervisor, communications & security tech, in Bucknell Public Safety.

Siegel believes Bucknell could be ready to enter competition by 2027.

For both Kennedy and Siegel, the project demonstrates the potential of renewable energy and hands-on engineering education.

"What drew me to engineering is energy efficiency — getting the most from the resources that we have available," Siegel says. "That's the foundation for sustainability."

Kennedy says the experience strengthened her confidence as an engineer.

"It was a great personal experience," she says. "I learned not to be hesitant about taking on something new. I really liked working with solar energy, and I was able to see the power of solar."

As the boat continues its evolution, the prototype is already achieving its primary purpose: giving future Bucknell engineers a vessel they can improve, redesign and someday race.