Engineering You're Hired

Engineering You’re Hired is an intensive one-week activity that is compulsory for all second years within the Faculty of Engineering. Students choose their problem and are then placed in multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural teams to work on a conceptual design and a plan for a project to take the design to the “proof of concept stage”.

The competition gives engineers the skills, and evidence of those skills, that will make them highly employable engineers. It gives students experience of working as a professional engineer would do, facing some of the challenges of the real workplace. Amongst other elements, the competition covers effective working (eg goal setting to tackle problems that achieve a clearly defined aim), time management to meet deadlines and cope with the fluidity of changing situations, collaborative working and presenting ideas to a range of people including prospective clients.

First Prize Winner: Safer Road

Project:

The Safer Road team comprises Zoe Ben, BEng/EEE w/Year in Industry FT; Joseph Fulford, MEng/Mech Eng w/Yr in Industry; Xu He, BEng/Electrical & Electronic Eng; Amy Hillyer, MEng/Bioeng w/Yr in Industry; Hok Pui Lam and Yonatan Williams, both studying BSc/Computer Science – £1,500 Engineers in Business Prize

Rural roads carry only 40% of cars but account for 62% of road fatalities. Sensing for Safer Roads aims to reduce medical response time to accidents whilst preventing secondary collisions.

This IoT solution uses a network of radar microwave sensors communicating via a cellular network to detect vehicle velocity and the location of passing vehicles.

Data from the sensors is then processed through our accident detection algorithm. If a sudden stop is detected above the deceleration of a safe braking distance, the system triggers a response to notify the local emergency services. The system also triggers electronic signs to notify traffic that an accident has taken place up ahead. Low-cost, solar-powered sensors attach to pre-existing structures and trees where possible, to ensure the technology remains feasible, scalable and sustainable, with a reduced environmental impact on rural areas.

Awarded: £1,500

Second Prize Winner: Magsat

Project:

The Magsat team comprises Mohammed Hussain Abastaki, BEng/Aerospace Engineering FT; Finlay Davis, MEng/Mech&RobotEng w/YrinIndFT; Matthew Deans, BEng/Mechanical Engineering; George Parkinson, BEng/Aero Eng w/Yr in Industry and Henry Patten, MEng/General Engineering FT – £1,000 Engineers in Business Prize

The massive growth in the number of satellites in orbit has meant a proportional increase in the risk of space debris. This phenomenon is known as Kessler syndrome. Magsat is a small, monopropellant-powered satellite designed to capture and de-orbit chunks of space debris. It would use an electromagnet to capture small chunks, spray them with a polymeric foam, and then release.

The increase in surface area means that the atmospheric drag is increased, leading to eventual vaporisation in the atmosphere. The long-term goal of MagSat is to increase the number of satellites to create a fleet, all of which would be refuelled at a hub satellite.

Awarded: £1,000

Third Prize Winner: River Revival

Project:

The River Revival team (left to right) Cheryl Xuan Lo, BEng/Civil Engineering; Ayana Superville Blackford, BEng/ Bioengineering FT; Menno Recordon, BEng/General Engineering FT and Evie Dalton, MEng/Electronic Engineering – £500 Engineers in Business Prize

The River Revival scheme is a way of preventing plastic waste and other litter from entering the ocean. It consists of a bubble barrier that can lift heavy plastics and guide all litter into one area, where it would be collected by a conveyor, which would then lift the plastic waste into a bin. When full, the bin would be switched-out via a boat. This solution is harmless to wildlife whilst also being effective.

Awarded: £500

Positive feedback

The opportunity for students to work in multi-disciplinary groups is invaluable to their growth and development as engineers and the incentive given by the EIB fund helps them focus and appreciate better the need to maintain a commercial understanding of engineering in context, as well as personally benefiting them for their efforts in participating in this national competition.

Michael Wright
Faculty Teaching Experience Officer
University of Sheffield