The IESL-UTE Raspberry Pi Challenge 2017 has entered the second phase drawing record interest from undergraduates and school students.
Organised by United Tractor & Equipment (Pvt) Limited (UTE) and the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka, (IESL), the nation’s apex body for professional engineers, the IESL-UTE Raspberry Pi Challenge 2017 promotes innovation through smart solutions among undergraduates and schoolchildren.
The initial phase, calling for applications and proposals has already been completed. Organisers received nearly 140 entries; 60 entries were received from Undergraduates and 70 entries received from A/L and O/L students.
“We have received a great response with nearly 140 entries in total and were impressed by the scale of innovation showcased. We are extremely appreciative of UTE in coming forward to sponsor this popular global challenge in Sri Lanka and promote such a culture among our youth,” said Jayavilal Meegoda, President, IESL.
For Round two, organisers have confirmed a total of 31 teams to move onto the second stage of the challenge.Of these, 21 teams are from Undergraduates and 10 student teams have made it to the shortlist.
All competing teams in this phase have been briefed on the requirements of the challenge during a meeting with IESL and UTE. The competitors have also been provided with the Raspberry PI device and information on how to use it. All teams have one month prior to the final evaluation before the winners are selected.
During the next phase, teams are expected to document and record all stages of their project development and authenticate their work. Teams have also been instructed to upload a video on Youtube demonstrating the progress they have achieved.
“Our aim in sponsoring this challenge is to promote innovation, collaboration and experiential learning among participants and stimulate students’ creativity and innovation. We believe it is vital to provide the necessary infrastructure at these levels to nurture our leaders of the future,” said Nalin Manoratne, Chief Marketing Officer, UTE.
The Judging Panel will evaluate each project on the progress made, its novelty and innovativeness during the first week of August.
The winners will be announced and acknowledged at the IESL Awards Ceremony in October. The IESL-UTE Challenge Trophy will be presented to the winner in addition to a cash prize of Rs. 250,000.
The first runners-up will receive Rs. 150,000 and the second runner-up, Rs. 100,000 respectively. Winners in the students category will also receive a cash prizes.
The winning models and prototypes will be showcased at the TECHNO 2017 Exhibition.