RS Components South Africa announced the winners of the inaugural Student Project Fund challenge. Launched earlier this year, the challenge was aimed at third- and fourth-year university engineering students from across the country. Students had to share their current projects for a chance to win one of three R5000 vouchers they could use at RS Components to purchase components, equipment and tools.
Brian Andrew, managing director at RS, said that student competitions had been an exciting element within the company’s education offerings. “We have seen some amazing talent shine through from local South African students showcasing their passion for engineering on the global stage. With a strong focus on sustainable engineering, we have challenged students to share their designs, projects and prototypes with us, giving students an opportunity to win some amazing prizes from RS Components,” he said.
“Education forms one of the pillars that make up RS Global’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy. The company’s focus is to build skills with young engineers and innovators, as well as foster innovations that improve lives. There is still a significant shortage of digital and engineering skills globally, and we need to inspire and encourage the youth to seek careers in this area. The next generation will need to be equipped to meet the environmental challenges the world faces, and help to ensure that our industry continues to thrive.”
Andrew added that from a South African perspective, RS has taken a strong interest in supporting future engineers through various initiatives and offerings throughout the year. “Some of the major offerings include Super Skills masterclasses which help to develop students’ interpersonal and people skills, so that they feel more equipped and ready for the workplace. Volunteering and partnerships with organisations like Engineers without Borders, as well as Geekulcha and Girlcode, allow RS South Africa to provide unique volunteering opportunities.
“Technical learning from our global DesignSpark website, which contains a growing library of technical resources for learning, also supports societies in setting up their own mentoring programmes. Lastly, we also host various challenges such as the Student Project Fund to showcase the amazing work of the country’s talented engineering students. These challenges that we host throughout the year also help to motivate and inspire the next generation of creators and tinkerers.”
The Student Project Fund is one of those competitions that helps engineering students become work ready. “We believe hands-on prototyping and experimentation are key to the education journey and want to do all we can to help students develop innovations that may change the world. We are excited to have selected our first three Student Project Fund South Africa winners for 2022 and can’t wait to see how their project designs and ideas turn into reality using the tools and components from RS Components SA. The projects will be shared on our DesignSpark platform in the coming months. I encourage all students to keep an eye out for this, as well as enter the next Student Project Fund competition to get your project underway,” added Andrew.
The three winners of the 2022 Student Project Fund are:
1. Nikhil Bejrajh – University of Cape Town – MSc Electrical Engineering
Implementing a feasible and efficient underwater wireless charging system for unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs).
View his submission video here: https://youtube.com/shorts/SBTt-mlcv-Y
2. Kai Goodall – University of Cape Town – MSc Electrical Engineering.
Designing and building an educational self-driving solar car for educational STEM outreach, to excite and encourage underprivileged high school learners in South Africa to study electrical engineering with the hope that they will solve problems faced by their communities. View his submission video here: https://youtube.com/shorts/HxZhylDhaXg
3. Pitambar Jankee – University of Cape Town – PhD Electrical Engineering.
Investigating the hardware design and application of a physical GPT-controlled inverter hardware in a self-contained
power system; a mini-grid. View his submission video here: https://youtube.com/shorts/wQhoTzeoFrY
Andrea Barrett, vice president for social responsibility and sustainability at RS Group, said that the company’s aim is to reach one million young people in education globally. “Already, RS Components UK supports more than 200 UK universities, and we will expand our ‘Grass Roots’ programme globally. Meanwhile we are continuing to build digital skills via our OKdo products and learning content, supporting 400 000 students annually.
“Through RS Components in the UK, US, South Africa and Australia, we are a partner in Engineers Without Borders, which supports 20 000 future engineers annually. We are aiming to engage 1,5 million engineers, through our DesignSpark community, in activist engineering projects that will promote sustainable and socially responsible solutions,” added Barrett.
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