In March, students from the University of Iowa College of Engineering and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology took first place at the IMechE Greater China Region Design Competition.

The students designed a robot for use in the mining industry as part of the College of Engineering’s Virtual International Project (VIPT) program, which teaches students how to manage a complex design project, including how to read dense building specifications, take on leadership roles, and meet deadlines.

The Greater China Design competition (GCDC) is a university student design competition among Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Macau universities, including the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Guangzhou College of South China University of Technology, the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Tsing Yi), the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the South China University of Technology, the University of Hong Kong, and the University of Macau.

GCDC aims at providing a platform for engineering students to demonstrate their engineering knowledge, while in parallel strengthen their presentation skills by designing an innovative prototype design on the topics range from environmental to social issues.

The competition is a two-day event which includes a presentation session and demonstration session. In the presentation session, the team has the opportunity to present its design which is innovative and has high economic and societal values. This is followed by a question and answer session by judges. In the demonstration session, the teams have to prove their design can function effectively to meet the competition requirement.

To learn more about VIPT, go to https://now.uiowa.edu/2017/02/ui-college-engineering-partners-hong-kong-university-science-and-technology-annual-design.