Nigeria’s premier university, the University of Ibadan, in partnership with NEST360, has hosted the first-ever Design Competition in the Faculty of Technology.
The Design Competition which took place under the auspices of NEST360 project is meant to stir up the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship among students, explained Professor Akinwale Coker, the NEST360 Principal Investigator.
The Design Competition involved 25 final year undergraduate and postgraduate (MSc) students of the Faculty of Technology who showcased their innovative research projects.
The Grand Finale held on December 8 saw the number pruned to six finalists, after an assessment by a panel of five judges drawn from various backgrounds headed by the Dean of the Faculty of Technology, Professor Olasebikan Fakolujo.
These six finalists contested for a grand prize of N250,000.
The grand prize was won by Mr Anthony Okwuegbulem for his project on: “An infant incubator design for intermittent access to electricity.”
The second prize of N150,000 went to Fidelis Achugamonye for his project titled, “A test recognition system to digitize COVID-19 case investigation forms.”
The third prize was won by David Vigbe for his project on “Edible Insects: A panacea for protein deficiency and food insecurity.”
The event was chaired by Rahman Abdu-Raheem, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Oyo State, represented by Sola Odedara, a director in the ministry.
At her address at the Grand Finale, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Aderonke Baiyeroju, who represented the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kayode Adebowale, reiterated the commitment of the present administration of Professor Adebowale, to research and innovation as evident in the support for the construction of the NEST360 Design Studio which is nearing completion.
The DVC (Academic) told Nigerian Tribune that new innovations are important to the growth of the university.
She described the projects that were showcased at the competition as “beautiful projects,” adding that she was “really impressed.”
Professor Baiyeroju commended the chief organisers of the design competition namely: Professor Coker, NEST360 Principal Investigator (PI); Dr Ademola Dare, Acting Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering & NEST 360 Co-PI and Mr Padraic Casserly, the UI Design Studio Coordinator employed by Rice University, Houston, Texas, USA.
Giving a background to the Design Competition, Professor Coker explained that NEST360 is an international alliance of clinical, technical, and public health experts dedicated to strengthening health systems with innovative technology, education, and policy resources.
NEST360’s Invention Education programme enables students and faculty to develop and deliver inventions that solve local and global challenges through international collaboration among universities, industries, hospitals, and non-profit organisations.
The multi-million dollar NEST grant was awarded in 2019 by a consortium of McArthur Foundation, Gates Foundation, Children Investment Foundation, Lemelson Foundation, ELMA Philanthropies and Chao Foundation to Rice University, Northwestern University, University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology, Malawi University of Science and Technology, Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences, 3rd Stone Design, Addis Ababa University, APIN Public Health Initiatives, Hatch Technologies, Ifakara Health Institute, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Oxford KEMERI-Wellcome Trust and Strathmore University Business School.
Mr Casserly shared his observations about the competition with Nigerian Tribune.
He noted that: “All the students were fantastic; from each of the three stages of the design competition: from the presentation of posters to the final, high intensity pitch that we saw here. In the final round of the design competition, they maintained their composure. They stayed on topic and I was really impressed with the quality of their research and creativity as well as the potentials for the future.”
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