It also aims to empower engineers by providing them opportunities to build their soft and technical skills. In alignment with the grand aim of improving the world through engineering, Speak Out for Engineering at the national level was organised by the IMechE NUST PNEC Student Chapter, the sub-chapter of IMechE Pakistan, on 29 November, 2020.
Gearing up for the event
IMechE Pakistan has a history of holding successful events, from the Abul Kalam Design Challenge to flagship events like SOfE, the team never back down. Long before the finalisation of the event date, the team geared up and the members began working on the following tasks:
- Devising the work plan (Progress sheet)
- Designing awards and forms
- Collection of participant data
- Communicating with the participants, guests, and judges
- Rehearsal before the finale.
As said by Thomas Edison, “Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning”, The SOfE finale event, first and foremost went through the planning phase.
The next phase came with a lot of load on the design department, which was entrusted with designing the invitation cards for judges and guests, shields for the winning presenters and judges, certificates of participation, and feedback forms for all the attendees. The talented designers of the team completed their tasks splendidly on time.
Meanwhile, the role of the Public Relations Department was pivotal as the day of the event was approaching. Whether it be gathering the presentations, dealing with participants for a short session about SOfE South, communicating with the judges’ panel, or inviting the representatives from the industry, the communication process went off without a hitch.
Behind the scene, the Publications Team collaborated with Social Media and Public Relations departments, by providing them with the necessary written material to execute their tasks.
The organisers rehearsed the event to keep everything flowing on the event day.
The Event
The event room was created on Zoom and the links were emailed to the attendees. On the day of the competition, Mahnoor Syed, the Chair of IMechE chapter NUST PNEC, hosted the programme alongside Areej, Farzan, Urooj, Uzair, and Moiz, who managed the event and ensured that everything was under control.
To tackle unforeseen circumstances, the Event Management team constantly remained in contact via WhatsApp to prevent any delays.
The presentations
Five participants reached the national level:
Mr. Tahir Waqas: 'Glass reinforced epoxy as an alternative material for onsite surface pipelines in the oil and gas industry: a practical feasibility'
Mr. Mirza Muhammad Ali: 'Renewable energy'
Ms. Anum Siddique: 'Pain Management System'.
Mr. Abdur Rehman Shakeel: Design and Manufacturing of a prosthetic knee
Mr. Taha Najam: 'Solar-thermo electric system'
After the fierce competition phase where the participants presented their practical ideas, it was now time for the judges to take the decision. For that, a separate breakout room was created so they could confer amongst themselves and decide the winners.
The results
The winner of Speak Out for Engineering at the national level is Ms. Anam Siddique, who delivered her presentation on the Pain Management system. She proposed an intelligent and effective pain management device that would provide pain relief through non-invasive and cost-effective healthcare therapy.
Mr. Abdul Rehman Shakeel presented his idea about the design and manufacturing of a prosthetic knee. His idea was to design a functional, comfortable, affordable, durable, and easy-to-use prosthetic knee, specifically targeted for the low wage-earning amputees of Pakistan. He is the runner-up of this competition.
Chair's remarks
I would really like to appreciate the efforts and contributions of IMechE Pakistan Group in their various endeavours in trying to develop our mechanical and other engineers while offering their opportunities of academic development with strong linkages to IMechE UK. And of course, giving them opportunities to test their skills within the country and internationally."
He further added, "Coming to today's presentations, I was pleasantly surprised to see all the contestants; the level of their preparedness, the sort of efforts that have gone into these projects and their confidence in presenting and defending their projects, I must say the quality of the judges, presentations and the topics that were chosen were excellent."
He shared his valuable experience in regards to connections between industry-academia with hopes to expand such networks. In the end, he concluded, “I would like to congratulate all the participants for putting in their time, efforts, and knowledge and skills in developing these projects.”