Students shine at International Project Week

A quartet of third-year engineering students from Glasgow Caledonian University left their mark on the global stage, wowing industry experts at the prestigious International Project Week hosted by Saxion University of Applied Sciences in Enschede, Netherlands.

Lewis Smith and Alex O'Neil, from Mechanical Engineering, alongside Nicholas Collard from Electrical Power Engineering, and Gabriel Eide from Electrical and Electronics Engineering, were handpicked to partake in this illustrious event.

The International Project Week, a grand gathering of more than 1,000 students from 10 European higher education institutions, offers a unique platform for budding engineers to immerse themselves in a melting pot of cultures and disciplines. Spanning more than 30 different industries, the week-long event is a hotbed for innovation and collaboration.

Under the watchful eyes of industry stalwarts and academic mentors from Saxion University, the students delved into a plethora of projects aimed at tackling real-world challenges identified by clients. Split into teams, each led by a designated 'group leader,' the students embarked on a mission to brainstorm, design, and present solutions that could potentially revolutionise their respective fields.

Nicholas Collard, recounting his experience, said: "I was tasked with providing a conceptual idea for a telescopic boom for offshore wind turbine maintenance. Collaborating with peers from Portugal and the Netherlands, we utilised cutting-edge lab facilities to produce a prototype, honing my communication skills and broadening my career horizons in the process."

Similarly, Lewis Smith lauded the event as a transformative experience: "Working alongside peers from across Europe, I spearheaded a project to revamp bottle recycling machines in the Netherlands, incorporating machine vision to enhance efficiency. Our collaborative efforts resulted in a working concept, poised to inspire real-world change."

Professor Patricia Munoz-Escalona hailed the students' performance as a testament to Glasgow Caledonian's academic prowess, emphasising the importance of such platforms in nurturing talent and fostering international collaboration. She said: "This is also an opportunity for the academic tutors from Saxion and for international partners to provide inputs to the participating teams as well as an opportunity to discuss future collaborations with other university partners."

Andrew Quinn, Assistant Head of SCEBE International, underscored the invaluable skills gained by students, from problem-solving to cultural awareness, thanks to events like the International Project Week. He said: "In an era where global experience is a prized asset, our students have once again proven their mettle on the international stage, leaving an indelible mark on the engineering landscape."