University of Sheffield
Engineering You’re Hired is an intensive one-week activity that is compulsory for all 2nd 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 a highly employable engineer. 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: SeedSense - Conor Cullen, MEng/Aero Eng - Year in Industry; Ameerul Bin Shahizam, MEng/EEE - Year in Industry; Kane Dervan, MEng/GenEng (Sys&Ctrl) - Year in Industry; Anas Nazha, BEng/Mec&RobotEng - Year in Industry and Jack Maskell, BSc/AI & Computer Science - £1,500 Engineers in Business Prize
The first prize winning team’s idea is to use autonomous field robots for monitoring soil and plant conditions to give a targeted response in terms of water, fertiliser or pest control, thereby minimising waste and creating food security. Interconnectivity and capacity were covered as well as development, future proofing and security.
The first prize winning team’s idea is to use autonomous field robots for monitoring soil and plant conditions to give a targeted response in terms of water, fertiliser or pest control, thereby minimising waste and creating food security. Interconnectivity and capacity were covered as well as development, future proofing and security.
Second Prize Winner: AMOS - 3D Construction - Robert Langford, MEng/Engineering and Katharine Jones, MEng/Architectural Engineering - £1,000 Engineers in Business Prize
This team won the second prize for developing an autonomous on-site construction system, using 3D technology to build floor by floor the vertical supports, by slip forming concrete columns, using plastic sleeving with pre-set rebar. This involves bringing in pre-formed concrete floor panels and creating structures up to 20 floors high. The project incorporated an overview of the technology, costs and timescales.
This team won the second prize for developing an autonomous on-site construction system, using 3D technology to build floor by floor the vertical supports, by slip forming concrete columns, using plastic sleeving with pre-set rebar. This involves bringing in pre-formed concrete floor panels and creating structures up to 20 floors high. The project incorporated an overview of the technology, costs and timescales.
Third Prize Winner: Reclaiming Energy from Sewers - Jonah Easton, MEng/Civil Engineering; Joe Oxley, MEng/Mech Eng – Year in Industry; Oliver Kerton, MEng/ChemEng – Year in Industry FT - £500 Engineers in Business Prize
The team used a pre-existing technology to harvest waste heat energy from a major sewer outlet in Sheffield. The entry included a detailed understanding of the technology, site challenges and viability, as well as the wider impact on energy security and environmental issues. Consideration of ongoing maintenance costs, life span and payback were also covered.
The team used a pre-existing technology to harvest waste heat energy from a major sewer outlet in Sheffield. The entry included a detailed understanding of the technology, site challenges and viability, as well as the wider impact on energy security and environmental issues. Consideration of ongoing maintenance costs, life span and payback were also covered.
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.
Peta Kirk - Academic Lead for 'Engineering You're Hired' - University of Sheffield