... in recognition of his enormous creativity which connects physics and design with the experience of the body in roller coasters and other rides.Werner Stengel's career as a roller coaster designer spans more than four decades. During this time, the design of roller coasters has evolved from art and craft to much more exact science and engineering. The development involves aspects from the mathematics of track specification and computational tools, to material and production methods, as well as the establishment of standards for loads on the structure and riders. Werner Stengel has contributed to this development in many different ways, and has been involved in nearly 500 roller coasters all over the world - including all present roller coasters at Liseberg and Gröna Lund, and a large fraction of the roller coasters reaching the top positions, e.g. in the Best Coaster Poll.See Press release
The Roller Coaster Data Base includes 369 roller coasters (79 relocated), where Werner Stengel has been involved. RCDB writes about his work:
"Simply put, Werner Stengel has been involved with more roller coasters than anyone. Stengel is involved with so many roller coasters because he does not build or sell the roller coasters, but works with most of the manufacturers that do. The type of work provided by Stengel varies from client to client and project to project. These services include design, layout and calculations for every aspect of roller coasters as well as other amusement rides. It is beyond the scope of the database to detail these services on a ride-by-ride basis."
Read more about Werner Stengel and the Roller Coasters at Liseberg
Werner Stengels constructions have been used in the University physics courses since 1995. The project "Impact - Amusement Park Science at Liseberg" includes also a collaboration with zoophysiology (measuring heartbeat), mathematics and teacher education, as well as a collaboration with schools in the region. The part of the documentation that is in English can be found at http://physics.gu.se/LISEBERG/eng/. See also Physics Education, Nov. 2005
