Institution news
Showcasing the industry in a unique way and encouraging engagement from seasoned, new and prospective engineers, the competition run by the Young Members of the Institute is now in its 56th year, and there seems to be no end to the talented young engineers applying to highlight their skills.
The SOfE competition is a challenge – applicants take part in regional heats in their own countries, and the best of the best from regions across the world then come together for one last showcase where the winner will be announced.
The Global Final was a two-day event held on 23rd and 24th April 2021, where the regional winners took to the virtual stage with their individual presentations and to take part in a specialised Q&A session. Whilst points were awarded for the content of the presentations, the bulk of the marks to be won depended on how successfully the competitor’s communicated their ideas and explained their technical subjects.
The Institute extends its congratulations to this year’s winner, Charlotte McMain, who represented the UK and Ireland with her presentation titled ‘Pharmaceutical Manufacturing 2020 and Beyond; and runner up Tausiful Islam, representing South Asia with his presentation ‘Unmanned Air Systems in Bangladesh’. Both competitors were highly praised for their informative and highly engaging presentations that highlighted their passion for the industry.
“The presenters were all very enthusiastic and their subjects were equally interesting,” said President elect Perter Flinn, who enjoyed acting as Head Judge of this year’s competition. “I would in particular like to congratulate the winner Charlotte and the runner-up Tausiful on firstly winning their regional finals and then succeeding in the global finals.”
For Charlotte, it still does not seem real to have been crowned the winner of the worldwide competition, and her achievement has put her in prime position to encourage others to take a leap and follow their passions.
“I entered the competition through the encouragement of a colleague, but I was so shy and even through Round 1 my hands and voice were shaking. However, through each round of the competition I became more confident and, whilst still not completely in love with presenting, by the Global Final I was able to relax and enjoy myself - and for me that is the most amazing prize! As an avid promoter of Women in Engineering, I feel really proud to be able to inspire other girls to push themselves out of their comfort zone and show that they can be successful in Engineering too! I definitely encourage anyone to give SOfE a go and share your passion for engineering!”
Tausiful said that if he could describe the SOfE journey in one word, it would be ‘overwhelming’.
“The most important takeaway from the entire competition is the immense learning opportunity that one gets and the room for personal growth in such an amazing talent pool. Never in my wildest dreams have I ever imagined myself representing my country let alone South Asia on such a grand stage.”
The SOfE competition opens up the world of engineering and focuses on communication, presentation and passion. If you feel up to the challenge and are interested in finding out about applying for the annual competition, go ahead and take the leap, it could be start of something amazing. As Tausiful says, “If you believe in something, do not stop trying no matter how many barriers you face. Limitations only exist, if you let them.”
IMechE organise a range of competitions and challenges for young engineers, full details can be found at here.
More details on participating in the 2021 competition can be found here.