Papua New Guinea competition emphasises sustainable projects

The first Speak Out for Engineering competition, organised by the Institution, was held in Papua New Guinea in May and had 21 entrants.

The competition took place at the University of Technology (Unitech) in Lae, Papua New Guinea, department of Mechanical Engineering. The university’s vice chancellor and the head of the engineering department both welcomed and enthusiastically supported the competition.

The 21 students, who had prepared to deliver presentations on topics related to mechanical engineering, were split into two groups. Attending in his capacity as one of the judges was Leslie Yeow, Chair of the Australian Branch.

The topics were wide ranging, from solar powered portable desalination plants to improved designs for UAVs. There were feasibility studies for micro hydro generation for a group of villages; cassava crushers and peanut oil extraction machines. 

Leslie observed that the students seemed very motivated by the interest from the Institution based so far away, and made good preparation to ensure they did not disappoint the judges. He said:

“The high standard made judging all the more difficult. One of the things I noticed was that the students were keen to choose projects that benefited the community and were environmentally sustainable.” 

After much deliberation, a winner and runner up were chosen. Chris Vela won PNG’s first SOFE with his presentation of a Portable Solar Powered Desalination Plant. Norman Wampe took a close second place with his presentation on the Design and Construction of a Peanut Oil Extraction Machine. Leslie said:  “We look forward to Chris competing at the Regional Finals in Sydney in November.

“I would like to thank Professor John Pumwa, Dr Syed Wahid, the Vice Chancellor, Dr Albert Schram and the rest of the mechanical engineering academic team at Unitech for organising this competition. I look forward to working closely with Unitech to ensure that SOFE becomes a continuing event at the university for the foreseeable future.”