The Engineering Student Society of Lakehead University (ESS) holds the annual Lakehead Engineering Competition (LEC) in November of each academic year. This competition is an opportunity for undergraduate engineering students to showcase their talents and technical ability through practical challenges and demonstrate engineering communication skills through presentations. This competition provides a challenging and rewarding experience to students, broadens their horizons to the different types of challenges faced in real-world engineering, and develops interest in continuing their successes in our senior-level competition teams. Contestants will gain valuable skills and perspective from the competition which they will carry into tomorrow’s workforce.
The Lakehead Engineering Competition is open to undergraduate engineering students of all years and disciplines at Lakehead University. Each competitor competes in one category of their choosing, related to both design and communication skills. As with previous years, the LEC will take place at Lakehead University’s Thunder Bay campus.
LEC has consisted of four categories in the past:
- Junior Team Design
- Senior Team Design
- Engineering Communications
- Software Design
Each category focuses on a different aspect of engineering design. In this way, LEC promotes communication, design, and ingenuity, and represents an opportunity for students to develop their professional skills in a competitive environment.
In addition to producing Lakehead’s winners, the LEC also serves as a qualifier for students wishing to compete in the Ontario and Canadian Engineering Competitions on behalf of Lakehead University. The LEC is based around these competitions, so winners of their category will be well prepared to face the challenges that arise at the provincial and national levels.
To get an idea of how LEC will run and the type of questions that you will be tasked with solving, check out the OEC questions from 2015 and 2023 below:
OEC 2023 – Senior Design Package
OEC 2023 – Junior Design Package
OEC 2015 – Senior Design Package
OEC 2015 –Junior Design Package
Categories:
Junior Team Design – Teams of up to four (4) 1st and 2nd year engineering students compete to produce a feasible solution to a physical engineering problem despite limited materials and time. The problem statement with objectives and constraints is revealed on the day of the competition
Senior Team Design – Teams of up to four (4) 3rd and 4th year engineering students compete to produce a feasible solution to a physical engineering problem despite limited materials and time. The problem statement with objectives and constraints is revealed on the day of the competition. Competition question will be significantly more challenging than Junior Team Design and will likely involve the use of programming robotics such as Arduino boards, circuits and motors.
Engineering Communications – Teams of one (1) or two (2) students present a clear, concise viewpoint on a technical topic to a technical and non-technical judging panel, with a focus on thoroughly explaining technical, social, economic and environmental impacts. This is a great opportunity for students currently conducting a degree project to present on your ideas!
Software Design – Similar to the Junior and Senior Team Design, teams of up to four (4) engineering software students will be given a software problem and will have to solve it in the allotted time frame. In previous years we have had a low turn-out from software engineering students, so make sure you register on time as you have a great chance at winning!