“Where dreams take flight and ideas shape the future.”
#Siemens + #EBEC = #SBEC ❤️ – the BEST combination to leverage creativity, fun, and growth.
After three years collaborating with BEST, this partnership can already be called successful. Nevertheless, there are special events that would stand out in this series, and SBEC was certainly one of them. It was the third time Siemens has sponsored the BEST challenge EBEC (European BEST Engineering Competition), and the first time Siemens opened its doors to host the event in its very own Siemens Technology Center at the Siemens campus in Erlangen. Maybe that’s why the organizers called the event SBEC this time, a combination of #Siemens + #EBEC.
The competition brought together 40 talented students, all studying at Friedrich Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. During the 3-day competition, held from March 13th to March 15th, ten teams were challenged to create an innovative Solid Edge tutorial to excite students, makers and educators about CAD, 3D printing, engineering, and STEM. From fun gadgets to educational tools, the student teams designed ten different projects, some of them even printed or laser-cut a corresponding prototype at the nearby Siemens Maker Space. On the very last day, all participants showcased their ideas in front of a jury, consisting of Andrea Boese, Georgi Dimitrov, Michael Kleemann, Buket Kurtulus, Carolin Remler, and Susann Kunz, all working at different fields and divisions at Siemens.
And the winners are…
Congratulations to all the participants and, of course, to the three winning teams: 1st Team Superperforator: Balancing Figure, 2nd Team Real Unicorns: Personalized Stamp, and 3rd Team 3H1B: Desktop Organizer. The winning team designed a bird or angel-shaped 3D print that would balance itself on the fingertip of a person’s hand. Besides the very engaging presentation and a tutorial instruction in PowerPoint, the jury was specifically convinced by the descriptive handout that the team provided. It would help educators to explain the physical background of the model and also how teachers could use it during the lesson. Furthermore, one of the students even tested out simulation, reverse engineering, and generative design features in Solid Edge. This serves as a great example of how the software could be utilized to some extent.
The second and third-placed teams designed some useful gadgets for our home desktops. The stamp of Team Real Unicorns worked very nicely and could also be tested by the jury with various stamp motifs. Team 3H1B, which essentially means 3 students with hair, and one student with a bald head, created a desktop organizer that could easily store pencils and at the same time be customized with individual designs.
“All teams did a great job achieving the best results in a limited time,” says Susann Kunz, Marketing Manager at Siemens Digital Industries Software and organizer of the event. “The contest was kind of split into three parts, as we not only asked the participants to come up with a functional but easy-to-realize design that could be achieved in no longer than three hours.” The goal is that the tutorial will be used in schools, at Maker Spaces, or simply at home to allow younger students to experiment with CAD, design, and 3D printing.
The event provided a great opportunity to establish the Siemens Technology Center as a place where innovation, collaboration, and passion for new technologies are really happening, bringing together the ingenuity of the Siemens world and the brilliant brains of the academic ecosystem. This exchange can only be called fruitful.
Oliver Hartmann, Head of Regional Office Erlangen-Nuremberg and host of the event, stated, “All teams developed truly creative ideas and morphed them into prototypes in less than 72 hours. I hope we can host these kinds of student competitions more often in the future as it was inspirational!” Prof. Joachim Hornegger, President of FAU, who attended the final ceremony to congratulate the students, commented on the event with the following quote: “Love our #FAUstudents: innovative, diverse, passionate. 💙 Thanks to #siemens and #besterlangen for providing a platform where emerging talents can thrive.”
Students’ Experiences and Feedback: A Testament to Succes
Additionally, the students reported that they really liked the competition, some of them even posted on LinkedIn about their experience.
Maitreya Limkar, M.Sc. Computational Engineering at FAU-Erlangen, said, “The 3 days were nothing short of fun. For this, a shout-out to BEST Erlangen e.V. for hosting this remarkable event! Their dedication made it truly unforgettable. Congratulations to all the other teams who participated in this event and kept the spirit of engineering high.”
Ning Zhang, student for Advanced Materials and Processes at FAU, commented, “It was a great opportunity to get to know the software Solid Edge and experience many of its functions, especially for getting to know reverse engineering and using it in real life during the competition.” For him, our concept to inspire the ingenuity of the students worked perfectly. After the competition, he looked around his apartment and decided to reconstruct the sole of his Adidas sneakers. He built the sole model based on a 3D scan in Solid Edge using its embedded Subdivision Modeling functions and even simulated the pressure of his feet.
Krishanu Borah, student for Clean Energy Processes at Friedrich Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, reflected on his experiences: “Participating in the #SBEC was a whirlwind of creativity, learning, and inspiration. Our team’s goal was to create an inclusive gaming experience that transcends visual limitations.” Together with his teammates Abin Samuel, Seyed Mehran Karimiakandi, and Motahare, he developed “NIKA,” a card game that would empower those with visual impairments to participate fully thanks to Braille.
SBEC – collaboration, exploration, and boundless creativity
Wrapping up this article, let’s delve into the reflections shared by Andrea Boese, a Siemens jury member: “What truly sets this competition apart is the nurturing environment provided by Siemens. It’s not just about competition; it’s about collaboration, exploration, and boundless creativity. The students are encouraged to push the boundaries of conventional thinking, to play with ideas that ignite curiosity, and to craft solutions that captivate young minds in schools.
Imagine a world where learning is not just about textbooks and lectures, but a thrilling adventure fueled by imagination and hands-on experience. That’s precisely what the BEST Student Competition, in partnership with Siemens, aims to achieve. It’s about inspiring the next generation to embrace technology, to think outside the box, and to carve their path towards a brighter tomorrow.”
