According to junior Lindsey Prestholdt, the Architecture, Construction and Engineering (ACE) club spent this year designing a plan and model of a presidential library, and plans on competing in an upcoming statewide engineering competition taking place at the University of Minnesota.

“(ACE is) going to present our proposal for President Obama’s Presidential Library,” Prestholdt said. “It’s a library in Chicago for President Obama to honor his (presidency).”

ACE adviser Al Wachutka said the club meets every Thursday and started without a plan for what to design this year.

“(They) had to come up with the concept (of) Obama’s presidential library, start from nothing and create and actual building – at least a plan for a building and a model for the building,” Wachutka said.

Prestholdt said the project incorporated a variety of engineering aspects.

“We picked out a site and designed the whole outside and interior, engineering and landscaping,” Prestholdt said. “We are presenting our idea to a committee (at the University of Minnesota) and we are (competing) against a bunch of other schools.”

According to Prestholdt, the club members divided up responsibilities in order to construct the model.

“We gave everyone separate roles that they could take on,” Prestholdt said. “We had a project manager, an architect, a mechanical engineer, an electrical engineer, and a landscaping manager.”

Wachutka said he enjoys watching the club, which is in its third year, compete in the competition.

“I always like to see if the group that’s working can pull off a decent presentation, given that I know the downfalls of the processes we go through and see how they handle judges random questions,” Wachutka said.

Prestholdt said competing in front of judges and an audience proves nerve racking.

“I am nervous to present because we are going to be presenting in front of a lot of people,” Prestholdt said. “I’m really scared I’ll mess up or forget something, or I’ll take too long to present.”

According to Prestholdt, the competition will take place at 5 p.m., March 16 at the University of Minnesota.