CONSIDERATIONS FOR PLANNING AND RUNNING EDUCATIONAL ENGINEERING CONTESTS

摘要

Educational goals and other requirements to successfully run design contests for university engineering students are discussed. The authors held human powered submarine design contests and races in Escondido, California in the summers of 2000, 2002 and 2004. These events were specifically designed to expose university engineering students to the types of decisions and processes an engineer in industry would face 5-10 years after receiving a bachelor's degree in engineering. In building a submarine for this contest, students gained technical expertise in conceptual and detail design and manufacturing, experience in teamwork and time management, and exposure to gaining funding and controlling expenditures. At the contest, oral presentations simulate industrial final design reviews, and races simulate functional tests and demonstrations for customers. Lessons and examples drawn from planning and running HPS2000, HPS2002, and HPS2004 are included and may be useful to persons planning similar educational engineering contests, and to contestants in such events.