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IEEE student design contest spurs future innovators

By Jeff Berman, News Editor -- EDN, 6/3/2005

A wireless system that automatically detects open parking spaces, developed by a group of students from Boston University, beat entries from 23 other teams from 16 universities at the 5th Annual IEEE Student Design Competition held in May at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).

The competition, which aims to spur innovation and develop the engineers of the future, was sponsored by Fairchild Semiconductor, the RIT IEEE student chapter, the RIT electrical engineering department, and IEEE Region 1. Judges evaluated the student teams on presentation, project demonstrations, teamwork, quality of technical content, and creativity/innovation.

Notable entries besides the Boston University team's iPARK system included a digital walking stick designed for the visually impaired and an electronic drum waveform, according to Malee Leeaphon, Fairchild's university-relations manager. Second place went to a team from Penn State University at Behrend for a wireless glove used as a substitute for a computer mouse, and a team from Penn State University at Harrisburg took third place for a hearing-assistance device.

"All engineering students have to do a senior design project," Leeaphon said. "But a competition like this gives them an opportunity to [look beyond grades] take on 'real-life' factors like marketability, planning, and executing and working within a budget."

The competition, Leeaphon said, aims to help build traction for engineering students getting ready to take their education to the professional level. "This is primarily made up of undergraduates," she said. "It lets them begin to apply what they have learned, and the level of innovation is inspiring. Some student participants have already received patents from universities and drawn interest from companies interested in their products."

Some electronics-industry executives have reported that some of the student projects seen at the competition resembled actual undertakings going on at their companies, Leeaphon said.

"This is a really good experience for the students, and it broadens their view of what other schools are doing," said Leland Smith, IEEE student chapter president at RIT. "It lets them see how they match up and also lets engineering professors see how other schools build and develop their programs."