AUSMAT Engineers: Rockets, Robots, Gliders, and Bridges!

This year, the AUSMAT Engineering Studies students at Sunway College showcased their creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills through a series of exciting engineering challenges spread across the semesters. These activities brought classroom concepts to life, blending theory with practical applications in unique and innovative ways.

The year began with the Bottle Rocket Challenge in February. Students designed and built rockets powered by water and air pressure. After examining a design brief, they brainstormed, planned, and constructed their rockets over multiple rounds of testing and iteration. The winning rocket soared with the longest flight time, highlighting the students' understanding of aerodynamics and design principles.

In March, the focus shifted to the Shoebox Glider Challenge. Students explored aerodynamics by studying the flight of paper planes before constructing balsa wood and shoebox gliders. Over one and a half months, teams refined their gliders through repeated testing and design adjustments. The final competition saw gliders flying impressive distances, with the furthest-flying glider taking home the victory.

June brought the Microbit Robotics Challenge, where students delved into programming using Code Blocks and a Microbit microprocessor. They applied their coding skills to assemble and program line-detecting robots capable of navigating a maze. The challenge concluded with a thrilling maze run, where the fastest robot programmed with the most efficient code was crowned the winner.

The final challenge of the year took place in August with the Annual Spaghetti Bridge Challenge. Students researched techniques for building strong yet lightweight bridges using spaghetti and glue. After a month of design, iteration, and testing, the grand finale featured public presentations and strength tests. The strongest and lightest bridge earned the top spot in this challenge.

Through these activities, AUSMAT students gained valuable insights into engineering concepts, teamwork, and innovation. These challenges exemplified the programme's commitment to providing students with dynamic, hands-on learning experiences. Congratulations to all participants for their outstanding efforts and achievements throughout the year!