Enterprising Students Showcase Innovative Ideas

Over 3000 students from South Eastern Regional College (SERC) took part in the College’s annual Enterprise Expo Showcase. Teams from over 30 curriculum areas produced imaginative and innovative solutions to real world challenges through project-based learning for which the college was recently commended in an external education report. 

Seven teams were shortlisted and went head-to-head for prizes included Lenovo tablets, Echo dots and gifts for all finalists. The coveted Overall 2020 Showcase Winners title was scooped by Eco Green Coffee Bean from the Lisburn Campus, a group of Mechatronic Engineering students who have designed a device to process ground coffee waste into compressed fire logs.  

There were two runner-up groups this year, Navigator, again from the Lisburn Campus, a team of first year HND computing students who have created an app in order to make it easier for students and staff to navigate around the College, ensuring they are following new systems, know where to find hand sanitiser stations and can see footfall within the College; and Memory Captures, a team of Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care students from the Newtownards Campus,  who created a memory journal and bracelet for those suffering from memory loss conditions such as dementia.  

Lizzie Buick, SERC Deputy Head of Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, said, “This year, our students rose to the Enterprise challenge, generating innovations, ideas and prototypes in response to real-world problems and needs. Students not only coped with the challenges presented by COVID-19 but harnessed these as inspiration and motivation for their inventive products and services, culminating in an impressive array of work and talent at our 2020 Enterprise Expo Showcase. The Expo is proof, once again, that SERC’s dynamic project-based learning supports students in developing their creativity, entrepreneurialism, and problem-solving abilities. ”  

Congratulations to all our students on the tremendous effort they showed this year and special thanks to our judges including Aimee Clint TransferWise Top Entrepreneur Under 20 in Europe 2018, Terrence Brannigan, SERC’s Entrepreneur in Residence and SERC staff who took part in judging the shortlist. 

Visit www.serc.ac.uk to find out how you could be #BetterOffAtSERC #OnlineAndOpenForBusiness Find us on Facebook, search SERC. 

Captions:

Pic 1: Eco Green Coffee Bean - Winners: A group of Manufacturing & General Engineering students from SERC’s Lisburn Campus have been crowned the College’s Enterprise Expo Showcase Winners 2020 with their innovative eco-friendly fire logs made from recycled coffee grinds. (L-R): Ryan O’Neill from (Lisburn), Jason Kerr (Dromore), Joe Luke (Lisburn), Aimee Clint, TransferWise Top Entrepreneur Under 20 in Europe 2018 and Ethan McIlwain (Downpatrick).    

Pic 2: ‘Navigator’ Joint Runners Up in SERC’s Enterprise Expo Showcase 2020: HND Computing students who have created an app in order to make it easier for students and staff to navigate 3round SERC to help ensure they are following new systems and safety measures put in place in light of the pandemic. (L-R): Conor Smith (Belfast), Aaron Millar (Lisburn) and Terence Brannigan, SERC, Entrepreneur in Residence.   

Pic 3: ‘Memory Captures’ Joint Runners Up in SERC’s Enterprise Expo Showcase 2020: A group of Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care students from SERC Newtownards campus who have created a memory journal to aid stimulating the memories of a person with a memory loss condition including dementia. They are also looking to bring to market a QR code bracelet for dementia suffers to keep them safe (L-R): Louise Savage (Holywood), Georgia Keddie (Newtownards), Anna Kirkwood (Dundonald), Michelle Rooney,  SERC’s School of Health, Early Years and Adult Education and Sarah Waters (Conlig).