A senior design team from the University of Tennessee’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering is featured in a YouTube TV series about the 2025 Cast in Steel competition.
Team Sword Washington from MSE placed in the top five in the international competition, which challenges university teams to design, cast, and test a fully functional metal tool or weapon entirely from scratch.
Jakob Scroggins (BS ’25), Fabriana Prawiranata (BS ’25), Nolan Lees (BS ’25), Daniel Rassmussen (BS ’26), and Davis Granger (BS ’25) had to make a replica of George Washington’s sword for the 2025 competition. Cameras followed them throughout the process for season 1 of the YouTube series.
“I’m really proud that our team had the opportunity to represent the University of Tennessee and MSE in the series, especially after making it all the way to the finals,” Rassmussen said. “Cast in Steel pushed us outside our normal comfort zones as MSE students and was a truly multidisciplinary experience, giving us the chance to work through everything from selecting the alloy and heat treatment to designing the sword and the molds, and ultimately putting our work to the test in front of thousands of people online.”
In the season finale, teams from UT, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Pittsburgh State University, and Youngstown State University went head-to-head in the final rounds of testing.
David Baker and Ben Abbott, expert judges and master bladesmiths on the History Channel TV series Forged in Fire, served as the expert evaluators for the Cast in Steel competition.
“It’s great to showcase how hard the students worked throughout this competition and it’s great publicity for UT,” said MSE Assistant Professor Dustin Gilmer, who was the team’s faculty advisor. “The Cast in Steel competition gives our students hands-on experience and industry experience, because they work closely with the sponsors. I am glad Cast in Steel is getting more attention through this TV series.”
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