To address global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, waste and pollution, the circular economy requires effective systems and solution frameworks. To improve every element of our global technological and economic systems, the engineering community must transform our practices.  

As engineering designers, we need to work together to answer the question: how can we design products that support the principles of sustainability, such as re-use, repair, re-manufacture, and recycling?  

By intervening through engineering, we have the power to create solutions for a circular economy – an approach that can work across all technical disciplines. 

Starting in 2022, IFEES and GEDC, Quanser partnered to launch the Quanser Global Sustainability Award, to take practical action on the concept of sustainability. 

We are excited to share an update on the 2023 Quanser Global Sustainability Award – a number of outstanding applications advanced to the second stage of the evaluation process, and the Award Committee has now completed its review of those applications.  

Applications from the following universities have been successfully shortlisted (List in no particular order) 

  • University of Toronto, Canada 
  • Oregon State University, USA 
  • University of Surrey, UK 
  • Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering, India 
  • University of Pretoria, South Africa 

The Mission:  

The Quanser Global Sustainability Award encourages the development of initiatives that prepare students to discover and develop sustainable engineering methods throughout their careers. 

The Eligibility: 

Any initiative focused on developing undergraduate or master’s-level engineering skills to tackle one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).  

The initiative must be innovative and include a demonstrable alignment to learning outcomes. In addition, the initiative must have a measurable impact on the student’s understanding of sustainability and have the potential to be transferrable and scalable, to ensure that it can expand to enhance the learning of future generations. 

Application Rounds: 

  • Round 1 – Provide a summary of the initiative focusing on the Round 1 criteria, 500 words maximum through the Web Form at the bottom of this page.
  • Round 2 – Project description addressing both Round 1 and Round 2 criteria (2000 words maximum), with evidence to support claims about outcomes and impact through email: sustainabilityaward@quanser.com

 

Criteria: 

Round 1 – Screening
– A Letter of Nomination* – must be completed and signed by an active GEDC member or an IFEES member society representative**
– The initiative is for new work that has not been recognized by a previous IFEES/GEDC award 
– The initiative is educationally innovative
– The initiative engages students in authentic learning experiences related to UN SDGs 
– Sustainability learning goals are clearly identified 
 
Round 2 – Project Details and Impact
– Fostering in engineering students an awareness of the environmental, economic and societal challenges facing our global society 
– Developing in engineering students the knowledge and skills needed to tackle these sustainability challenges
1. Technical engineering knowledge and skills 
2. Professional skills such as teamwork, communications, and understanding stakeholder needs 
– Igniting engineering students’ passion for improving sustainability through engineering work
– Potential for the educational innovation to be adaptable, transferrable and scalable
– Potential to improve sustainability at the institutional/community/local, or global level  

 

 Award Committee Evaluation Criteria 
  • Educational Impact
  • Global Community Impact

Schedule:

June 16, 2023 Round 1 material must be submitted
June, 2023 Round 2 screening results will be announced
August 11, 2023 Round 2 material must be submitted
Early September, 2023 The winner will be contacted
October, 2023 The winner will be announced during WEEF-GEDC 2023 in Monterrey, Mexico

 

Submission channel and requirements:

  • Round 1 materials must be submitted through the webform below, round 2 must be submitted through email: sustainabilityaward@quanser.com
  • Project title must be included as the subject of email communications and in all attachment titles 
  • Materials may be submitted as attachments or link 
  • If you have any inquiries, please email via sustainabilityaward@quanser.com   

The Prize:  

  1. Quanser will supply the winner (or winning team representative) with one complimentary conference registration for the WEEF/GEDC 2023 Conference, held October 23 – 27, 2023, with a round-trip economy class airfare from the winner’s place of residence to Monterrey, Mexico, and three-night hotel accommodations.  
  2. Quanser will also supply a cash prize of $5,000 USD. 

 

 * The Letter of Nomination is downloadable and signable if you use Adobe Acrobat.
 ** The nominator must be an active GEDC or IFEES society member. A list of member representatives may be found on the Members page of the GEDC and IFEES websites. Multiple submissions may be submitted by the same nominator. Members of the Executive Committees and members of the Award Committee are ineligible to be either nominators or nominees for the award. 

 

2023 Quanser Global Sustainability Award