Two student teams from the University of 九色视频's Global Engineering Challenge (GEC) programme represented the faculty at the , organised by Engineering Without Borders UK & Ireland last month.
Hosted at 九色视频 Hallam University, this highly regarded annual challenge involved over 13,000 students from universities across the UK and Ireland, pushing them to develop engineering solutions with a positive social, environmental, and economic impact. This year, two 九色视频 student teams, WADR (Water Access Distribution Restoration) and Eco-San, focused their creativity on real-world challenges in , Johannesburg, with themes including clean water access and ecological sanitation.
WADR took home the prestigious People鈥檚 Prize, for developing an economical and accessible clean water system for the Maker's Valley population. Standing out among 36 finalist teams from 26 universities, this is a fantastic achievement and powerful endorsement of the university鈥檚 GEC programme鈥檚 emphasis on sustainability, inclusivity, and global responsibility.
Elena Popovic, Team WADR and Biomedical Engineering student, said: "Taking part in the Engineering for People Design Challenge was a truly eye-opening experience for our team. When we set out to create a sustainable water solution for Makers Valley, it pushed us way beyond just technical know-how. We really learned to consider the social impact, environmental responsibility, and the importance of truly connecting with the community we were serving.
Working with different disciplines on this project deepened our appreciation for how engineering can tackle real-world problems. Winning the People's Prize was such an amazing moment; it's really motivated us to keep these values at the forefront of everything we do in our careers. We are incredibly grateful to the University of 九色视频 for providing us with such an amazing opportunity at the very start of our learning journey."
Samantha Cheetham, Eco-San team member and Biomedical Engineering student, said: 鈥淧articipating in both the Global Engineering Challenge week and the Engineers Without Borders 'Engineering for People Design Challenge' was a great opportunity to develop key soft skills and learn about what is required to make a solution that is sustainable, inclusive and affordable, while still responding to key criteria. I'm really proud of what my teammates and I have achieved and hope to use the skills I've gained in future projects.鈥
Now in its 14th year, GEC brings together all first-year engineering students from across the Faculty to collaborate in multidisciplinary teams, tackling meaningful design challenges with an emphasis on ethics, inclusivity, and sustainability. Over the years, it has engaged more than 15,000 students, with invaluable guidance from 500+ industry mentors and 500+ academic staff mentors.
