Competition takes engineer and designer to Luxembourg
Philippa Hazel and Heather Braddock are first ever Huddersfield students to take part in the Morpheus Cup
COLLABORATION was the key to success when two students from the University of Huddersfield were chosen to enter a prestigious European competition which saw over 500 students from 19 countries take part.
Philippa Hazel, is an Electrical and Electronic Engineering student from the School of Computing and Engineering and together with Heather Braddock, who studies Interior Design with the School of Art Design and Architecture, they travelled to Luxembourg to take part in the highly-competitive Morpheus Cup.
Students competed for a full day throughout a variety of mini challenges with a prize on offer of €10,000 in cash and the Morpheus Cup Award.
Heather and Philippa also took part in the Morpheus Prize with their entry Project Blue, an innovative design to attract students into recycling more paper. For this students were asked to choose one of six categories and present a tech solution, mobile application, a new solution, product or business strategy.
The pair submitted their winning entry from the University’s 2016 Innovation and Creative Exchange (ICE) 24-hour Design Challenge.
Originally named the Blue Bin Project but renamed to Project Blue for the competition, the concept is for students, each being identified by their University ID card, to enter their waste paper into a smart bin. Each student is then in turn rewarded with the proportionate amount of print credits. This also enables data to be compiled showing which of the University’s academic schools is most diligent in recycling.
Dr Jess Power (pictured right), is the academic lead of the Innovation and Creative Exchange and the Director of Teaching and Learning in the School of Art, Design and Architecture.
“We are absolutely delighted to support Heather and Philippa from the Blue Bin team to attend the Morpheus Cup in Luxembourg. They are the first ever students to represent the University of Huddersfield in this competition which is highly-regarded across Europe,” said Dr Power.
“Here at the University, we recognise the value of interdisciplinary challenge-based learning and encourage all students to participate in the Design Challenge to enhance their learning experience,” she said.
The Morpheus Cup was set up three years ago by the European Commission to give students a platform to showcase their talent to future employers in an effort to manage the problem of the growing skills gap reported across Europe. Heather and Philippa made the most of the regular networking sessions that were scheduled for students to meet representatives from major companies such as Vodafone, Price Waterhouse and Cooper and many more.
They are now both on placement and are gaining vital experience during their year in industry. They say the knowledge gained from collaborating across their different disciplines has been invaluable both in the development of their academic-learning and working-skills.