![\"Engineering](\"http:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2019\/09\/Engineering-competitions_Legos_3-1.jpg\" "\\"Engineering")
Photo courtesy of the author<\/span><\/span><\/P>\n
As they grow beyond Legos, I\u2019m excited to point them in the direction of real-world engineering competitions that are teaching problem solving, innovation and even systems engineering.<\/P><\/p>\n
There are a lot of engineering competitions and challenges out there, but you should always look for key criteria so you can ensure the competitions are valuable to you as a student. In my last post, we emphasized how critical real-world competitions and curriculum<\/A> are for future-ready graduates. Let\u2019s talk more about these engineering competitions and how they give students the engineering work experience they need for future success. <\/P><\/p>\n Collaboration.<\/STRONG> One key criteria of real-world engineering competitions is collaboration. Engineering competitions that provide the opportunity for global collaboration help prepare students to work more successfully in global product development<\/A>.<\/P> Case in point, I recently saw 3,700 students from 115 teams and schools representing 24 countries come together in Hockenheim, Germany. This global student engineering competition<\/A> challenges students to build, test and race a small-scale formula race car in combustion, electric and driverless categories.<\/P><\/p>\n After a rigorous \u201cscrutineering,\u201d students compete in dynamic events that rank results in endurance, acceleration and efficiency as well as static events that review engineering design, cost and manufacturing and business plan presentation. Six student teams occupy the same space one professional Formula 1 race team typically occupies, so the closeness invites frequent communication and collaboration \u2013 and having this engineering work experience while still being a student is a big advantage for your future career. <\/P><\/p>\n Industry alignment.<\/STRONG> A second key criteria is industry alignment. Engineering competitions that engage engineering and manufacturing organizations ensure students are tackling real-world problems companies currently face.<\/P> For example, Siemens designed a Global University Challenge on the Digital Twin<\/A> this year. Students at eight universities were challenged to design measurement and data acquisition methods to enable the digital twin<\/A> through Tecnomatix.<\/P> Classroom integration.<\/STRONG> A third criteria is classroom integration. Engineering competitions that are both inter- and extracurricular provide the best combination of thoughtful theory and context with real-world application for the most beneficial engineering work experience.<\/P> When SpaceX challenged students to revolutionize \u201cterrestrial transportation\u201d in a Hyperloop competition, 27 teams around the world signed up. This is the first competition of its kind to help accelerate the development of a functional Hyperloop pod and encourage student innovation for real-world engineering work experience.<\/P> Let me tell you about a few more that make the grade.<\/P>
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Students often tell me that learning how to communicate across different languages, cultures and time zones is their biggest takeaway from a global competition.<\/P><\/p>\n![\"Engineering](\"http:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2019\/09\/Engineering-Competitions_Formula-Student-Germany-1.png\" "\\"Engineering")
Engineering competitions like Formula Student Germany give students the collaboration experience they need for success. (Image courtesy of Formula Student Germany)<\/span><\/span><\/P>
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Industry input in competition design ensures challenges that require a multidisciplinary approach. They challenge students to gather relevant industry data while thinking through design, analysis, manufacturing, product costing, data management, marketing and business planning.<\/P><\/p>\n![\"Engineering](\"http:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2019\/09\/Engineering-Competitions_Global-Univeristy-Challenge-2016-Open-Innovation-1.png\" "\\"Engineering")
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Students liked engaging with Siemens subject matter experts on futuristic trends. This collaboration during the ideation phase provided students the constructive feedback that helped them make important manufacturability changes to improve their solutions using digital twin technology.<\/P><\/p>\n
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In a previous post, we talked about changing the proportion of engineering science and practice<\/A>, and competitions provide the right vehicle to do just that. Did I mention they\u2019re also fun? Most senior engineers I talk with wish they could go back to school whenever they see one of these competitions in action.<\/P>
\n![\"Engineering](\"http:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2019\/09\/Engineering-competitions_classroom-integration-1.jpg\" "\\"Engineering")
Classroom integration should be an important part of engineering competitions.<\/span><\/span><\/P>
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See why University of Maryland calls competitions like this one \u201cco-curricular.\u201d<\/A> Students tested pods earlier this year<\/A> and just finished launching their pods on a mile long vacuum track at SpaceX\u2019s HQ. Peak speed was more than 200 mph<\/A>!<\/P><\/p>\n![\"Engineering](\"http:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2019\/09\/Engineering-Competitions_-UMDLoop3render-1.jpg\" "\\"Engineering")
The University of Maryland’s Hyperloop team competed in this unique SpaceX competition. (Photo courtesy of UMD Loop)<\/span><\/span><\/P>
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\u2022 Spaceport America Cup is an international intercollegiate rocket engineering competition bringing together 100 post-secondary schools from 11 countries. The University of British Columbia rocketed to first place<\/A>.<\/P>
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