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Teams from four North West universities battled it out yesterday to decide who is the engineering design challenge champion

Hosted by the University of Bolton, the contest was the Institution of Mechanical Engineers' (IMechE) second undergraduate design challenge and first year engineering students from Bolton were joined by students from Manchester and Salford to compete for a trophy and a share of £1300 in cash prizes.

Each team demonstrated their ideas for a structure designed to minimise the impact on a pedestrian in a car accident. The teams set up a simulation exercise using a glass slide and a pendulum. They had to prevent the pendulum, which was released from a progressively greater height, from breaking the glass.

Professor Peter Myler of the University of Bolton School of Built Environment and Engineering said: 'We were pleased to host this event which gave the students the chance to have some fun during these early stages of their studies, while learning a serious lesson about the importance of professionalism in the engineering sector, and this links in to our status as a centre for developing professional practice.'

David Ball, chair of Greater Manchester Area and Power Industries Division of the Institution's North West centre, said: 'The Undergraduate Design Challenge was started to introduce new students to IMechE and test their abilities to deliver a professional, working project in the competitive world of engineering design. The core principles of the competition are design, build, test and compete – themes familiar to professional engineers and skills which undergraduates need to establish early in their learning.'

A team from Manchester Metropolitan University were the eventual winners of the challenge.

In addition to the competition itself there were also guest speakers from IMechE, including Technical Director Colin Brown, and young IMechE members Vicky Blower and James Myers.

Picture: the University of Bolton team.