- Teams challenged to develop green metropolitan transport system for 2040 for Cork, Limerick, Belfast or Galway
- TU Dublin will now go on to compete at the leading international case competition ENGCOMM 2020 in Montreal, Canada
- DCU takes runner-up spot with UCC in third place
- Students from the top three teams win internship placements with ESB
4 November 2019
Technological University Dublin students Samuel Berry (originally from Kilpedder, Co Wicklow), Pierce Blackmore (Portobello), Jake Rogers (Walkinstown) and Sanchit Aggarwall (New Delhi) will represent Ireland at the international engineering and commerce competition ENGCOMM 2020 in Montreal after their team won the ESB Inter-Colleges Challenge 2019 on Friday.
The TU Dublin team pulled ahead by a small margin in the grand final against stiff competition from UCC and DCU to emerge victorious for the second year in a row. They were presented with the prestigious McLoughlin perpetual trophy.
Forty students from ten colleges across Ireland participated in the competition to develop a metropolitan transport system for 2040 which would substantially reduce traffic in cities, improve air quality and the quality of life for citizens.
The competition took place in a high pressure setting at the Irish Management Institute (IMI) over the course of Thursday 31st October and Friday 1st November, with each team designing, costing and building a proposal for Cork, Limerick, Belfast or Galway to pitch to an expert panel.
Presenting the winning prizes, Marguerite Sayers ESB Executive Director commented: “The quality of analysis undertaken by each of the teams over the past two days demonstrates their ability to think critically and creatively about the challenges facing the country and the energy sector in the transition to a low carbon future.
“I was impressed by the novel approaches to the challenge that each team presented. I also look forward to welcoming students from the top three teams to ESB for internships next summer where this experience will stand to them in a dynamic real-life working environment.”
ENDS/
Editors’ Notes:
ESB: ESB is Ireland’s leading energy company established in 1927. Since its foundation, ESB has brought light and energy to communities in Ireland and beyond, helping them to reach their full potential. Today, ESB is leading the transition to a low carbon energy future, powered by clean electricity. This involves investing in low carbon and renewable generation, developing a smart network capable of supporting the further electrification of society and empowering customers to take more control over their energy use.
ESB Inter College Challenge: Hosted by ESB for the last five years, this competition is open to third level colleges with teams typically comprising of three engineering and one commerce student. ESB sponsors the winning team to represent Ireland in the international competition in Montreal in 2020 with the winning team also receiving placements in the organisation. This year’s challenge was based on the new ESB Strategy for a Brighter Future and focused on the challenge of enabling the low carbon citizen of the future. It was a challenging case that tested the engineering, commercial and marketing skills of all the teams and will be good preparation for the international competition at EngCommm 2020 in Montreal, Canada.
The McLaughlin Perpetual Trophy: The ESB Inter College Challenge McLoughlin Perpetual Trophy was inspired by a young and visionary Irish graduate of UCD and NUIG Dr Thomas McLaughlin and his work on the Shannon Scheme. Its cylindrical shape is inspired by the penstocks at Ardnacrusha which is etched with a map of the roads, rivers, canals and fields of the Shannon area. It is based on one of the maps used by the Shannon Scheme constructors which is in the ESB Archive. The trophy was created by award winning sculpture Michelle Byrne, a graduate of GMIT. She lives in the Blackstairs area of Co Carlow and for this piece she chose the dark Limestone of Freshford Co Kilkenny.