What do you get when you combine 250 competing engineering students and a tight deadline?
Pressure. And lots of it.
On January 21, U of T Engineering students participated at the 10th annual U of T Engineering Kompetitions (UTEK). Every year, U of T undergraduates participate in six different categories of competition. Winners qualify for a spot on the Ontario Engineering Competitions (OEC) and potentially the Canadian Engineering Competitions (CEC).
“We had a wait list this year,” said Layan Kutob (IndE 1T2 + PEY), Director of the 2012 UTEK event. “Volunteers wanted to get involved even if they could not participate due to high registration numbers.”
The event continues to enhance the student experience at Skule™, providing undergraduates a chance to network with their professors, staff and alumni. In addition, they develop and practise critical teamwork, design and communication skills that are essential to a professional engineer, while working together with their peers in a competitive atmosphere.
With time against them, senior teams (third- and fourth-year students) in one category were asked to build an autonomous rescue robot that used sound, touch and light sensors to collect items and return them to their starting point. Junior teams (first- and second-year students) in another category created devices that sort a mixed stream of recyclables into different piles without human help. Sketching designs on note pads and blackboards, students brainstormed different outcomes for their team challenge.
Once completed, students were expected to present and market their prototypes to a panel of judges made up of alumni, professors and industry representatives.
Mike Del Balso (ElecE 1T2) of the winning senior design team thanked his team’s ‘secret sauce’ for the win. “We used cellphones to operate the robot in the rescue mission versus developing a computer program for the operation.”
Taking notes in the Debates room, Stephen Tam (CivE 1T4) and Terry Xia (EngSci 1T4) waited anxiously for their turn to present. “The UTEK debates component gives you a chance to develop your public speaking skills,” said Stephen. “For me, every opportunity counts.”
Former Director of the 2009 UTEK event, Patricia Sheridan (MechE 0T9) participated this year as a Debates judge.
“For students, this is an out-of-classroom experience where they get to develop interpersonal skills,” said Sheridan. “As a graduate, you have the opportunity to network with similar-minded individuals and develop partnerships in an informal manner.”
To volunteer as a judge at similar events in the future, contact Sonia De Buglio, Associate Director Alumni Relations and Annual Giving, at: sonia@ecf.utoronto.ca
