UKZN’S Mechanical Engineering Open Day on Friday, 20 October, showcased the best of innovative student engineering.
This is a highlight of UKZN Mechanical Engineering’s academic calendar, when final year mechanical engineering students display their projects for public viewing. The fourth year engineering hopefuls were at hand to explain their project designs to evaluators, sponsors, parents and the public.
This display of projects is part of the degree requirements of the final year Design and Research Project modules. Projects are allocated to project groups, consisting of three or four students, at the beginning of the year.
The final year design projects simulate a professional working environment in which students have to apply the engineering knowledge gained during their studies, to achieve specified project objectives while keeping within predetermined budgets. The technology demonstration prototypes that they produce within the nine month period encompass a wide variety of engineering sub-disciplines including vehicle design (electric, air, land, water), green energy technologies, renewable energy harvesting systems and industrial machines.
Assessment of the projects is structured in accordance with the engineering outcomes required by the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA).
“The focus of the open day is to highlight the hard work and technical achievements of our final-year students. The aim of the projects is for students to solve fundamental engineering problems. The students first need to do research, then they design, manufacture and test their their projects,” said academic leader for Mechanical Engineering at UKZN, Prof Glen Bright.
Prof Bright said this prepares the final year students to go into industry.
“The open day is held to show parents what the students have been doing so they can be proud of their achievements, for industry to see what they can do for job opportunities and for school learners to get ideas for future careers,” he said.
Bright said the projects are judged by five judges and prizes awarded to the top three projects, as well as the Best Industry and Best Innovation prizes.
“There are good commercial prospects in this year’s batch. Some projects are way out and some very fundamental,” he said.
