Youths to Vie for Alternative Energy Champion Titles at National Engineers Day 2016
Eighty-one student teams to imagine, create and innovate solutions for humankind at Energy Innovation Challenge 2016. Addition of new Standards Award to groom young Standards experts. Annual engineering festival enters the heartlands for the first time to enthuse students about engineering.
- (1888PressRelease) July 23, 2016 - National Engineers Day (NED) 2016 will become the battle ground of 81 teams of budding engineering talents from local and international students participating in the finals of the Energy Innovation Challenge (EIC) 2016. Mr. Ng Chee Meng, Acting Minister for Education (Schools), will be the guest-of-honour at the opening ceremony of a weekend of mega fun and discovery for the young, to be held at the Toa Payoh HDB Hub Atrium, on 23 and 24 July from 9am to 5pm.
Participating teams of EIC 2016 will display products designed or invented by them demonstrating the use of an alternative energy source of energy for public viewing and judging at the two-day NED fair. Shortlisted teams will be presenting the fruits of their four-month labour on stage to win votes from the audience at 2pm on Sunday, 24 July 2016. The grand winners will then be honoured at the Awards and Prizes Presentation Ceremony to be graced by Ms. Indranee Rajah, Senior Minister of State for Finance and Law.
Hosted by The Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES) for the seventh consecutive year, NED 2016 is themed "Engineers - Innovators & Creators of the Future". Packed with enriching activities epitomising the brilliance of engineers and the exciting opportunities in an engineering career, the event is supported by the Ministry of Education (MOE), institutes of higher learning, National Research Foundation and other industry partners.
"Engineering is a career that can create impact in ways that no other professions can. Opportunities in engineering have also expanded in unprecedented proportions as our future becomes increasingly dependent on technology. With the support of our partners, IES has designed National Engineers Day 2016 to be the perfect place for students to discover intriguing challenges in engineering awaiting their contributions and for parents to get in touch with the expanding possibilities of an engineering career," said Er. Edwin Khew, President of IES.
Energy Innovation Challenge (EIC) Broadened in Scale and Scope
Jointly organised by IES and Science Centre Singapore, the second EIC is seeing participation from a total of 76 student teams comprising 61 teams from local secondary schools, junior colleges, ITEs and polytechnics and 20 teams from local and foreign universities. This is an increase over its inaugural run in 2015, which hosted 72 teams comprising 53 from local schools and 19 from local and foreign universities in 2015. This year, the international category received an overwhelming 50 submissions across the Asian region, with projects from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Taiwan being submitted for the first time.
In addition, the squad of 49 professional engineering and business mentors continue to show their support this year, maintaining EIC as the competition with the largest industry participation in mentoring of its kind.
With the support of SPRING Singapore, EIC has also added a new category this year - the Standards Award - to cultivate a stronger awareness and appreciation of the importance of standards in realising a cleaner sustainable future in Singapore. The team which effectively demonstrates how standards support and improve energy proficiency via an 800-word journal log will receive a winning cash prize of $1,000.
"To support a sustainable future, the use of alternative sources of energy plays a key role in reducing our ecological footprint. The Standards Award in the Energy Innovation Challenge serves as a good platform for the participants to appreciate the value of standards in enabling the development of green energy solutions. As sustainable energy solutions become more prevalent, this will provide them with a good foundation for understanding how standards help ensure inter-operability of solutions and implementation of common practices internationally," said Ms Choy Sauw Kook, Assistant Chief Executive, Quality and Excellence, SPRING Singapore.
EIC 2016 comprises four categories: Category 1 (Secondary Schools), Category 2 (Junior Colleges), Category 3 (ITEs and Polytechnics) and Category 4 (Singapore and International Universities). It is supported by MOE and National Research Foundation (NRF).
Champion teams of Categories 1 to 3 will win an educational trip to the BMW Welt, BMW Museum and BMW Group Plant in Munich, Germany while the first runner-up, second runner-up and merit winner will receive cash prizes of $1,000, $700 and $300 respectively. For Category 4, the champion team will receive $8,000, while the first runner-up, second runner-up and merit winner will receive cash prizes of $5,000, $3,000 and $1,000 respectively.
The four-month challenge commenced with a networking party on 19 March 2016 whereby student teams and their mentors gathered to brainstorm project ideas and embark on prototyping. Leading up to the competition finals, participants attended 12 different workshops and two two-day intensive camps in June to refine their projects using the latest gadgets and equipment in the industry.
Highlights of NED 2016
Apart from EIC, NED 2016 will serve up engaging activities to engage students and their parents on the marvels of engineering and the exciting prospects of an engineering career. This year's talks will emphasise on the crucial role that engineering plays in our future with Rolls-Royce Singapore speaking on "Rolls-Royce technology - 20 years from now", BMW talking about the 'Future of Smart Mobility' as well as experts from Microsoft, Autodesk, Pirate3D and Ring Theory; as well as workshops and performances including electrifying multimedia and magic of engineering shows.
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