Georgia Tech’s Advanced Manufacturing Pathways (AMP) program recently brought students from Bainbridge, Thomas County Central, and Thomasville City together in Bainbridge, Georgia, for the program’s first Tri-District Race. Students competed with custom cars they designed and built as part of the AMP curriculum, a hands-on pathway that introduces advanced manufacturing through programming, digital design, 3D printing, machining, and performance testing.

AMP’s signature project is simple and powerful, students engineer the fastest possible car from the ground up, learning how to:

• Design with CAD tools, then iterate on prototypes,
• Translate digital models into physical parts through 3D printing and machining,
• Use data to optimize speed and performance, and
• Apply real manufacturing workflows under real time constraints.

In the accompanying video highlights, students describe the excitement of taking something “from online into real life,” while regional industry voices emphasize the long-term payoff, growing local talent that is more likely to build careers and stay in Southwest Georgia.

The Tri-District Race was hosted at Southern Regional Technical College in Bainbridge, with community support that helped turn the competition into a true regional celebration. Georgia Tech reports AMP is already expanding, adding three more Southwest Georgia schools and doubling program reach.

Award highlights

Georgia Tech’s event recap includes race results and awards such as Best Engineering, Best in Show, and People’s Choice, reflecting both speed and design excellence across teams.

Read the full feature story and see photos, student quotes, and program details here: