UL team win prestigious International Engineering and Commerce Case Competition
March 16, 2017
UL team win prestigious International Engineering and Commerce Case Competition
Congratulations to students Patrick Lu (2nd year Electronic and Computer Engineering), Eoin Hann (3rd year Civil Engineering), Darren Fehilly (2nd year Mechanical Engineering) and David Monaghan (2nd year BBS) winners of the internationally renowned Engineering and Commerce Case Competition (ECCC). This inter-disciplinary competition focuses on combining the technical field of Engineering with the interactive field of Commerce to collaboratively identify solutions to real-world challenges that modern industries face. It is the only contest of its type in the world and is rated as one of the top case challenges in North America.
This year’s competition was hosted by Concordia University in Montreal, Canada and involved teams from Canada, America, Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. The competition lasted over four days where each team had to compete in three cases with a preparation time of six hours for the first two cases and twelve hours for the final case. The UL team performed consistently well in their heats and emerged victorious after excelling in the final case study challenge, which was to develop a 10 year business plan for Bombardier drawing on the latest developments in electric transportation and autonomous vehicles. The UL team proposed that Bombardier invest in the development of an electrically powered self-piloted vertical take-off aircraft capable of transporting 18 passengers or cargo. Their innovative solution pushed the boundaries of our current understanding of transportation, but at the same time was supported by relevant and proven technologies. The judging panel for the final case commented on the quality of the presentation given by the UL team and also on their response to the questions delivered afterwards.
This win is a fantastic achievement and a one of a number of ‘firsts’ for the UL team as in addition to being crowned overall winner, the UL team won Best Engineering Solution and Best Sustainable Solution awards in Montreal and they are the first team outside of Canada to claim the top honours at the International Engineering and Commerce Case Competition (ECCC). The students obtained a place in the final following their win in the ESB Inter Colleges Challenge last November where they beat very formidable competition from other Irish Universities.
The students were advised and mentored by Dr Vanessa Egan, Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering and Dr Briga Hynes, Lecturer in Entrepreneurship from the Kemmy Business School. Information on the competition can be obtained from Dr Vanessa Egan (Vanessa.Egan@ul.ie) Below is a picture of the winning team, plus representatives from Faculty of Science and Engineering, Kemmy Business School and the ESB.