UTEK Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Record Participation
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 from all disciples participated in the 10th annual U of T Engineering Kompetitions (UTEK). U of T Engineering undergraduates compete in six different categories. Winners qualify for a spot on the Ontario Engineering Competitions (OEC) and potentially the Canadian Engineering Competitions (CEC).
“We had a wait list for this year’s competitions,” said Layan Kutob (IndE 1T2 + PEY) Director of the 2012 UTEK event. “Students 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 and alumni. In addition, they develop and practice critical teamwork, design and communication skills that are essential to a professional engineer, while working together with their peers through friendly competition.
With time against them, teams in the Senior Design category (third and fourth year students) 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 Design teams (first and second year students) created devices that sorted 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 consisting of alumni, professors and industry representatives.
Patricia Sheridan (MechE 0T9), who served as the director of UTEK in 2009, was a judge for the Debates category.
“For students, this is an out of classroom experience where they get to develop interpersonal skills,” said Sheridan. “As an alumnus, you have the opportunity to network with similar-minded individuals and develop partnerships in an informal manner.”
To volunteer as a judge at future competitions, please contact Sonia De Buglio at 416-946-8143 or sonia@ecf.utoronto.ca