Gator Theme Park Engineering and Design Club
Officers:
Email: gatortped@gmail.com
President – Jack Laux
Email: j.laux@ufl.edu
External Vice President – Max Milder
Email: max.milder@ufl.edu
Internal Vice President – Syon Aidt
Email: s.aidt@ufl.edu
Treasurer – Jacob Kesten
Email: jacobkesten@ufl.edu
Faculty Advisor:
Dr. Jonathan Brooks
Email: brooks666@ufl.edu
Purpose and Mission
Gator Theme Park Engineering & Design (Gator TPED) is a multidisciplinary student organization at the University of Florida that focuses on growing students professionally, technically, and socially through events relevant to the themed entertainment industry. This is accomplished through industry tours, guest speakers, networking events, and design projects.
Activities
On UF campus, Gator TPED currently has 4 Design Teams: Interactives Design Team, Ride Development Design Team, Haunted House Design Team (Swamp Haunters), and Creative Design Team. Members meet weekly to conceptualize ideas for a wide range of themed entertainment projects!
The Interactives Design Team works in small groups to create small projects that guests would interact with in a theme park. Each semester, every small group is given a themed land, and they are tasked with creating an interactive element that fits inside that land. Each project involves circuitry, prototyping, design, and more. This design team is perfect for people who are new to engineering & design and are looking for introductory projects!
The Ride Development Design Team is focused on creating a small-scale ride system. Last year, the team created a suspended dark ride, and they’re currently working on a smaller scale KUKA arm ride system. This project will involve multiple disciplines to create the documentation, mechanical/electrical systems, and controls that bring the project to life. If you are looking to get involved in a more advanced technical project, this design team is for you!
The Haunted House Design Team, also known as Swamp Haunters, is the first and only team at UF focused on designing and building a haunted house. This project brings together students from different disciplines to design and construct a themed haunted house completely from scratch. Since Spring 2023, the Haunted House Design Team has focused on creating a new house each year that they display to the public during both the spring and the fall. This year, they will be working to design and construct their 5th haunted house. If you love horror, or you just love themed design, then this design team is for you!
The Creative Design Team focuses on creating theme park lands from scratch using concept sketching, 3D modeling, and more. Team members work both individually and collaboratively to engineer, design, and develop a series of structures that work together to form a complete theme park land. These structures consist of walkthrough attractions, gift shops, restrooms, shows, and restaurants. Using a variety of mediums, Creative Design Team fosters artistic development while tapping into the technical aspects of themed entertainment. If you enjoy storytelling and creating immersive environments, then the Creative Design Team is the place for you!
Industry Involvement
Gator TPED members compete in the Toronto Metropolitan University Thrill Design Invitational with Universal Creative annually. In 2024, the team was commended for Communication in the Safety & Accessibility challenge, as well as their Operational Feasibility in the Novel Ride Design challenge. In 2025, the team was commended for Technical Communication, Innovation, and Human-centered Design in the Mechanical Design challenge.
Gator TPED also hosts our very own design competition, Swamp Thrills, each spring. Teams from UF and other universities collaborate to design a themed attraction and then professionally pitch their project to industry professionals.
Finally, Gator TPED members actively attend professional events including ASTM F24 Conference, IAAPA Expo, SKYnext presented by Skyline Attractions, and TEA NextGen events. Our students have interned with or entered full-time positions with Universal Creative, The Walt Disney Company, United Parks & Resorts, Skyline Attractions, Animax Designs, Roush, Nassal, BRPH, PGAV Destinations, ThemeWorks, and more!
Join Us
We welcome students of all majors to join Gator TPED, whether you’re an engineer, a designer, or you just love theme parks! All announcements are made via our Instagram and Discord. Go Gators, Go TPED!
