Engineering students shine in provincial competition

The Ontario Engineering Competition, held last weekend in Guelph, was more than a test of student skill and creativity, according to assistant dean Edwin Tam: "They needed stamina too!"
Teams from all over Ontario arrived late Friday, received their design or task challenges, and then worked straight through the night to prepare their materials for judging the next day.

In the end, one of three teams from the University of Windsor medalled in the competition—the Junior Design Team earned a third-place finish. Windsor representatives were:

Junior Design Team

• Mikhele Fiorini
• Chris Maris
• Taylor Purdy
• Franky Sabelli

Consulting Team

• Erica Berdan
• Michael Jolie
• Jessica Orjuela

Senior Design Team

• Anthony Lui
• Adam Mucciaccio
• Stewart Robson
• Robert Vrecic

Dr. Tam emphasized the faculty was proud of all three teams representing it in Guelph, and appreciated the help of the Engineering Students Society in organizing January's competition to select Windsor's teams, and in contributing to offset their travel and registration expenses.

In the Ontario Engineering Competition, students must present their designs or solutions to a panel of judges, who assess them on a combination of design, performance, and their ability to effectively communicate how their solution solves the challenge.

"These are not just simple technical problems," Tam said. "Many of the design problems must address pressing real-world issues, such as sustainability and economic challenges."