A team of California Baptist University students has won second place in an international contest after designing a prototype for an artificial heart. They earned the honor in November at the second annual Heart Hackathon in Utsunomiya, Japan, a news release states. The private Riverside university’s squad, comprised of undergraduates, was the only U.S. team competing of the nine contestants. It placed third in the 2023 international competition, which was in Dallas. California Baptist University biomedical engineering students take a design course and learn to develop 3D-printed artificial heart prototypes that pump fluid at flow rates equivalent to the human heart, the release states. The team began work in December 2022 and had its first prototype less than two months later, according to the release. Students created a type of pump that uses rollers to squeeze fluid through a tube in periodic motion, the release states. The competition allows university students from across the globe to take part in a year-long project, connecting them with industry professionals and researchers in the field of artificial hearts, a news release states. Industry experts judged the contest, examining the artificial heart prototype’s design, research and business plans.