The competition is generously sponsored by Weir Minerals.
Overview
In 1988, the Panel on Engineering Design initiated a national "design and build" competition, known today as the Weir Minerals Design and Build Competition. In the past it was named the Warman Competition due to sponsorship by the Warman pump company. Following their takeover by Weir Minerals it has changed name and is very generously sponsored by Weir Minerals. The competition is open to students in mechanical engineering who are in their first or second year of study. The competition receives entries from the Asia Pacific region, with most from Australia and NZ. Heats are held as part of design engineering courses, typically in second year, at most universities. The campus winners then converge on the national final to determine who are the region's best budding designers.
A retrospective - "Eleven Years On"
2009 Competition
Sydney, Australia - 27 September 2009
The 2009 Weir Minerals Competition National Final will be held Friday 25 September to Sunday 27 September 2009 at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. This year marks the 22nd anniversary of the competition. The teams will work on project BATON.
The Context:
The Gondwanan societal leadership is undergoing change as a new generation emerges. To mark the transition, a ceremony symbolising the passing of responsibility from the serving to the newly appointed council members is to be staged in Capital Square. This is expected to be a huge community event and the Gondwanan Office of Protocol (GOP) is keen to show some flair and fanfare within the proceedings.
The Challenge:
The GOP has devised a design and build competition and has advertised it widely across the galaxy to find a fitting finale to the celebration. Their concept and the competition specification call for two autonomous devices working together in series to pass a sculpture representing the planet's prosperity around two edges of the Square. Symbolically, the sculpture will pass from the retiring leaders to the new both safely and quickly.
Fortunately, teams of engineering students from Earth are about to visit Gondwana as part of their work experience programmes and the GOP is keen to engage them in the competition. On previous visits such engineering students have rendered invaluable assistance with solutions to similar engineering problems, and the Gondwanans again are hoping to benefit from the innovative budding engineers.
The Objective:
The objective is to design, build and prove a prototype device in a laboratory environment that serves to automate a baton exchange. Can you win the Gondwanan Office of Protocol's competition? Can you achieve an unbeatable score?
Can you assist in Project BATON?
National Organiser:
Dr Warren Smith
Past Winners & Competition Reports
Pre 2001 Winners
UNIVERSITY | YEAR |
University of Queensland | 2001 |
University of Canterbury | 2000 |
Auckland University | 1999 |
University of NSW@ADFA | 1998 |
University of Auckland | 1997 |
University of Newcastle | 1996 |
Curtin University | 1995 |
University of Queensland | 1994 |
Curtin University | 1993 |
University of NSW | 1992 |
UTS | 1991 |
University of Central Queensland | 1990 |
James Cook University | 1989 |
University of NSW | 1988 |