Engineering Students Take Silver at National Competition
March 14, 2013 - News Release
Four University of Guelph students won silver at a national engineering competition in Ottawa last weekend.
Thomas Shoniker, Steven Davis, Kyle Montgomery and Evan Fitzpatrick (seen above, left to right) -- all second-year students -- took second prize in the junior design category of the Canada Engineering Competition held March 7-10. Teams had four hours to solve a design problem and present their work before a judging panel of industry professionals.
Teams had to create a device able to reach, clear and exit a blockage, simulating a clogged artery.
“We were only given a limited number of supplies, so our design had to be based around what was available,” said Montgomery. “A cost for each item we used in our design was also considered, and one of the constraints of the project was to build a working prototype at the lowest possible total cost.”
With limited time for full testing, the Guelph students focused on preparing their presentation, said Shoniker.
“A lot of points are awarded for presentation, so we wanted to make sure that we had our answers ready for the panel’s questions. We also did some research on real-life applications for our design and incorporated that information into our presentation.”
The winning team was from the University of Northern British Columbia.
Said Montgomery, “It was a great feeling when they announced that we had come in second, and it was pretty fun going up on stage to get the plaque they had personalized for us.”
The U of G team had competed twice before, including at the Ontario Engineering Competition to qualify for nationals.
The students said the competition allowed them to use skills learned in the classroom and to help prepare for engineering careers.
“The competitions at the junior level are more about teamwork and soft engineering skills than actually a theoretical project, and I think that we have a great advantage coming from our program, where those skills are formed,” said Montgomery.
“I think that the presentation skills that we learned in that class and teamwork experience really helped us this weekend, and we were able to deliver a strong presentation.”
For media questions, contact Communications and Public Affairs: Lori Bona Hunt, 519-824-4120, Ext. 53338, l.hunt@exec.uoguelph.ca, or Kevin Gonsalves, Ext. 56982, kgonsalves@uoguelph.ca
