The annual Waikato Engineering Design Show kicks off this week, with students from the University of Waikato's School of Engineering showcasing their research and design projects to the public.

The Waikato Engineering Design Show is the high-point of the school's degree programmes and provides a unique opportunity to meet talented engineering students and academic staff, and see firsthand how students excel in designing, building and testing new products, structures and solutions for the real world.

From natural haircare products to robots that pick fruit and help solve the labour shortage, to an ingenuous plan for using recycled plastic to make roads, the three-day event is packed with innovative solutions to real challenges, which is a testament to the nurturing learning environment at the fastest growing engineering school in the country, which proudly boasts a full complement of professional engineering degree programmes.

Dean of the School of Engineering professor Mark Dyer says the University of Waikato is leading the way when it comes to high-tech, innovative solutions to real-world problems.

'Our students are guided and inspired by experts in areas ranging from earthquake engineering, time-of-flight image processing, robotics, sustainable energy solutions, biopolymers, titanium based lightweight metal alloys and 3D printing.

'The impressive line-up for the 2020 event shows that Waikato engineering students are thriving and enter the workforce with an edge.
'This is thanks largely to our passionate and tight-knit team who enable students to share their ideas openly in a friendly, collegial environment on the pathway to a professional career in engineering.”

Held at the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts in Hamilton, the 2020 event will once again provide visitors with unrivalled access to the latest thinking in engineering with a view to solving environmental, societal and business problems.

From charging our phones by taking a brisk walk and making fishing nets biodegradable, to fixing congestion in Tauranga and being prepared for earthquakes in Hamilton, the public will be spoilt for choice when it comes to student exhibits and cutting-edge tech in action.

Students also compete within the event for industry-sponsored prizes, announced at the conclusion of the Engineering Design Show.

Entry to the event is free and doors open at 8:30am daily with members of the public encouraged to plan their visits during ‘action hour' which kicks off at 11am daily,

The full schedule can be found online here.