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Students excel in national engineering contest

31 August 2022 News

RS Components South Africa has announced the winners of the first Student Project Fund challenge. Launched earlier this year, the challenge was aimed at third- and fourth-year university engineering students from across the country. Students had to share their current projects for a chance to win one of three R5000 vouchers that they could use at RS to purchase components, equipment, and tools.

Brian Andrew, managing director at RS, said that student competitions are an exciting element within the company’s education offerings. “We have seen some amazing talent shine through from local South African students showcasing their passion for engineering on the global stage. With a strong focus on sustainable engineering, we have challenged students to share their designs, projects and prototypes with us, giving students an opportunity to win some amazing prizes from RS components,” he said.

Andrew added that from a South African perspective, RS had taken a strong focus in supporting future engineers through various initiatives and offerings throughout the year. “Some of the major offerings include Super Skills masterclasses which help to develop students’ interpersonal and people skills, so that they feel more equipped and ready for the workplace. Volunteering and partnerships with organisations like Engineers without Borders as well as Geekulcha and Girlcode allow RS to provide unique volunteering opportunities”.

The Student Project Fund is one of those competitions that help engineering students become work ready. “We believe hands-on prototyping and experimentation are key to the education journey and want to do all we can to help students develop innovations that may change the world. We are excited to have selected our first three Student Project Fund South Africa winners for 2022, and can’t wait to see how their project designs and ideas turn into reality using the tools and components from RS Components SA. The projects will be shared on our DesignSpark platform in the coming months. I encourage all students to keep an eye out for this, as well as to enter the next Student Project Fund competition to get your project underway,” he added.

The three winners are:

1.Nikhil Bejrajh – University of Cape Town – MSc Electrical Engineering.

Implementing a feasible and efficient underwater wireless charging system for unmanned-underwater vehicles (UUVs).

View his submission video here: https://youtube.com/shorts/SBTt-mlcv-Y

2.Kai Goodall – University of Cape Town – MSc Electrical Engineering.

Designing and building an educational, self-driving solar car for educational STEM outreach, to excite and encourage underprivileged high school learners in South Africa to study electrical engineering with the hope they will solve problems faced by their communities.

View his submission video here: https://youtube.com/shorts/HxZhylDhaXg

3.Pitambar Jankee – University of Cape Town – PhD Electrical Engineering.

Investigating the hardware design and application of a physical GPT-controlled inverter hardware in a self-contained power system, a mini-grid.

View his submission video here: https://youtube.com/shorts/wQhoTzeoFrY

Andrea Barrett, Vice President for Social Responsibility and Sustainability at RS Group said that RS’s aim was to reach one million young people in education globally. “Already, RS Components UK supports more than 200 UK universities, and we will expand our ‘Grass Roots’ programme globally. Meanwhile we are continuing to build digital skills via our OKdo products and learning content, supporting 400 000 students annually. Through RS Components in the UK, US, South Africa, and Australia we are a partner in Engineers Without Borders which supports 20 000 future engineers annually. We are aiming to engage 1,5 million engineers through our DesignSpark community in activist engineering projects that will promote sustainable and socially responsible solutions,” added Barrett.


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