Pressure. Suspense. And relief. These are just some of the emotions a competitor will feel during the Waterloo Engineering Competition. Last weekend, thirty-six teams competed in the Junior Design, Senior Design, and Consulting competitions to see who would represent Waterloo at the 2015 Ontario Engineering Competition and the 2014 National Mining Competition.
Having competed in Junior Design at both the Waterloo and Ontario Engineering Competitions for two years, I can honestly say that Engineering Competitions have had an enormous influence on me as an Engineering student. Having to construct a working prototype to solve an engineering problem, such as delivering goods to the top of a mountain, has developed my creative problem solving skills immensely. Furthermore, learning to work together with a team in high-stress situations, such as when your prototype fails thirty minutes before your submission is due, is an essential skill that is developed through participation in engineering competitions. Most of all, competing in engineering competitions is FUN! Getting to design and build a simple machine lets you exercise your ingenuity and seeing how every team’s approach to the problem at hand varies is fascinating. If you get the chance to compete at either the Ontario Engineering Competition or the Canadian Engineering Competition, you will also get to meet students from across Canada, which is a blast!
Upcoming opportunities to get involved in the Waterloo Engineering Competition are numerous. The Fall 2014 Competition is looking for Directors to run its Junior, Senior and Consulting competitions. Running a competition itself is a very rewarding endeavor, as you get to CREATE the challenges the competitors will have to solve. If you are interested in being a director, please contact Heather Smith at vpexternal.a@engsoc.uwaterloo.ca. If you wish to compete in the competition, look out for sign-ups in the Fall!
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