Shell Eco-marathon: More than just a competition
A platform for students to self-reflect, critique and rise.
NUST, Karachi won the off-track communication award but the entire Pakistan contingent made waves due to its confidence in the paddocks. PHOTO: SHELL
KARACHI:
I haven’t slept and if my eyes give up on me, I keep dreaming about the car design. There is very little time left and I can’t seem to think of anything else other than the fact that the Shell Eco-marathon (SEM) Asia begins in Manila in a few days.
I am yet to complete my Philippines’ visa requirements and my university assignments are piling up as well. Oh wait, the sponsors are yet to give a final word on the amount of money they are supporting us with. My parents have given me the consent to go ahead but they are extremely worried. What should I wear at the event?
This is not the time to worry about fashion, interrupts another student involved in the project — where universities across Asia compete in designing and building a vehicle that travels the furthest on a litre of fuel.
The ‘wise’ one initiates a discussion on engineering concepts so that the vehicle, which is now into its 10th month of the designing phase, could be made more fuel-efficient. A few minutes of a serious discussion are followed by several moments of anxiety as the topic invariably turns to the logistical issues at hand.
There is no money, the design is still to be perfected, work is piling up at the university and my documents are not complete. There are just four days to go in the deadline to submit everything and there is so much running around left. I don’t want to take part in the event anymore.
And there goes a final year engineering student’s dream of taking part in an international event down the drain. The event would not have just given him exposure but a sense of what expectations there are from students when competing at the international level.
Problems faced
But there is a reason why six Pakistan teams, after the number was originally told to be 19, took part in the SEM Asia 2014.
Shell Pakistan, which facilitated Pakistan universities, held a meeting with media representatives ahead of the event.
The meeting was a precursor and sneak peek into the event.
Asked as to how many universities had registered their teams for the event, a Shell Pakistan official said the number was 19. Eyebrows were raised in surprise and suspicion. The number was quickly revised to 17.
The official SEM media handbook, however, said 11 Pakistan teams were due to take part. But when the event commenced there were only six teams in the paddocks.
Universities and their teams backed out mostly due to logistical concerns. Visa requirements meant preparing a bag full of documents, while pursuing academics. This had to be done in conjunction with the hardest job in the world – arranging finances and sponsors – that made it more than a tough ask for students. All these issues were in addition to the event’s core challenge — designing and building the vehicle which would travel furthest on a litre of fuel.
Teams from Jamshoro’s Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, AIR University Islamabad, FAST National University, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) Rawalpindi and University of Engineering and Technology (UET) featured in the list but were not present in Manila. Not because they planned on doing so but had to miss out due to one of the several hurdles.
The six teams that finally did reach Manila felt proud even before the flag-off and, in a way, were right in doing so. This included two teams each from the Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) and NUST Karachi, while one apiece took part from the AIR University Islamabad and Ghulam Ishaq Khan (GIK) Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology.
The results weren’t bad either. The team from GIK Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology finished sixth in its category, while NUST, Karachi bagged the off-track communications award.
The performances were heartening but what was even better to see was the enthusiasm and spirit displayed by Pakistan. There was a lively spirit in the way they talked and discussed their achievements. Despite the issues faced, students went on about their business in a confident, yet modest, manner. They realised it was the big stage and the competition was tough. But they continued going back on the track with adjustments to their design even till the final day.
The competition was over with Pakistan teams not featuring even close to the eventual Thailand winners.
But the journey had just begun.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 3rd, 2014.
I haven’t slept and if my eyes give up on me, I keep dreaming about the car design. There is very little time left and I can’t seem to think of anything else other than the fact that the Shell Eco-marathon (SEM) Asia begins in Manila in a few days.
I am yet to complete my Philippines’ visa requirements and my university assignments are piling up as well. Oh wait, the sponsors are yet to give a final word on the amount of money they are supporting us with. My parents have given me the consent to go ahead but they are extremely worried. What should I wear at the event?
This is not the time to worry about fashion, interrupts another student involved in the project — where universities across Asia compete in designing and building a vehicle that travels the furthest on a litre of fuel.
The ‘wise’ one initiates a discussion on engineering concepts so that the vehicle, which is now into its 10th month of the designing phase, could be made more fuel-efficient. A few minutes of a serious discussion are followed by several moments of anxiety as the topic invariably turns to the logistical issues at hand.
There is no money, the design is still to be perfected, work is piling up at the university and my documents are not complete. There are just four days to go in the deadline to submit everything and there is so much running around left. I don’t want to take part in the event anymore.
And there goes a final year engineering student’s dream of taking part in an international event down the drain. The event would not have just given him exposure but a sense of what expectations there are from students when competing at the international level.
Problems faced
But there is a reason why six Pakistan teams, after the number was originally told to be 19, took part in the SEM Asia 2014.
Shell Pakistan, which facilitated Pakistan universities, held a meeting with media representatives ahead of the event.
The meeting was a precursor and sneak peek into the event.
Asked as to how many universities had registered their teams for the event, a Shell Pakistan official said the number was 19. Eyebrows were raised in surprise and suspicion. The number was quickly revised to 17.
The official SEM media handbook, however, said 11 Pakistan teams were due to take part. But when the event commenced there were only six teams in the paddocks.
Universities and their teams backed out mostly due to logistical concerns. Visa requirements meant preparing a bag full of documents, while pursuing academics. This had to be done in conjunction with the hardest job in the world – arranging finances and sponsors – that made it more than a tough ask for students. All these issues were in addition to the event’s core challenge — designing and building the vehicle which would travel furthest on a litre of fuel.
Teams from Jamshoro’s Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, AIR University Islamabad, FAST National University, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) Rawalpindi and University of Engineering and Technology (UET) featured in the list but were not present in Manila. Not because they planned on doing so but had to miss out due to one of the several hurdles.
The six teams that finally did reach Manila felt proud even before the flag-off and, in a way, were right in doing so. This included two teams each from the Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) and NUST Karachi, while one apiece took part from the AIR University Islamabad and Ghulam Ishaq Khan (GIK) Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology.
The results weren’t bad either. The team from GIK Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology finished sixth in its category, while NUST, Karachi bagged the off-track communications award.
The performances were heartening but what was even better to see was the enthusiasm and spirit displayed by Pakistan. There was a lively spirit in the way they talked and discussed their achievements. Despite the issues faced, students went on about their business in a confident, yet modest, manner. They realised it was the big stage and the competition was tough. But they continued going back on the track with adjustments to their design even till the final day.
The competition was over with Pakistan teams not featuring even close to the eventual Thailand winners.
But the journey had just begun.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 3rd, 2014.