Dominic Winney and Jake Bridges were given twelve weeks and a total budget of £100 to complete the challenge which saw them working as a team to design, construct and test a scale model of a hydro-electric power generator for their client HydroGen Ltd. The team, who worked under the company name GenServ during the competition, impressed the judges in the final stages of the competition when they pitched their ideas to the panel of East Coast College Higher Education tutors.
The aim of the challenge was to provide students on the college’s University of Suffolk validated Operations Engineering Foundation Degree course with the opportunity to put their skills to the test by working on a live brief during their “Skills in Research and Problem Solving” module. The competition also gave students the opportunity to develop invaluable skills and experience that will no doubt enhance their future prospects.
The winners were presented with their trophies by the judging panel at the end of the competition which took place at East Coast College’s Lowestoft campus. The winning team’s name will also be engraved on to the overall GeoTherm trophy which is updated each year.
Student Dominic Winney, Team GenServe’s joint Project Manager and Mechanical Engineer, said:
“This project posed a challenge to Team GenServ but, using our thorough research and communication skills throughout the process, the project was designed, built and tested successfully. All of our hard work and long hours spent working on the project paid off and it was nice to hear positive feedback from the judging panel. This module has enabled both Jake and I to develop a number of new and existing skills that will enhance our personal portfolios and will hopefully make us more desirable and employable in the future.”
Adrian Durrant, Lecturer in Engineering, East Coast College, said:
“All students who took part performed exceptionally well throughout the competition and each one of them can be proud of their achievements. It took both rapid learning and a degree of nerve to complete the task on time, on budget and to specification so they have really shown what they are capable of. This competition is great for the students because it fosters learning by doing, team working and communications, among other important aspects of both education and the workplace. I would like to congratulate our winners and thank GeoTherm Ltd for their support in sponsoring the competition.”
The competition sponsors, GeoTherm Ltd, is a Lowestoft-based company specialising in the condition based monitoring of engineering assets, across the UK and worldwide.