The 2020 Ontario Engineering Competition was a provincial general engineering competition for university students, hosted in the University of Guelph. Having won Junior Design for our regional competition, we qualified to participate in the same category.

Our competition this time was to build an apparatus that would elevate certain objects (styrofoam balls, glue sticks, a heavy weight) up 30 cm and deposit them on a platform. Possibilities included pneumatic and telescopic designs.

We had a plethora of ideas which ultimately led us crunched on time. We ended up with a machine that did not satisfy the requirements. The evident lesson to be learned is to make a decision and stick to it.

That aside, the competition was well-run. Amenities were plentiful, the events were well-organized, and the other participants were friendly. I had an overall positive experience and hope I’d get the opportunity to go next year.