UK engineering students take up the Knovel University Challenge
01 November 2011
Knovel, the provider of a Web-based application integrating technical information with analytical and search tools, has reported that enrolment in the Fifth Annual Knovel University Challenge is on track to surpass the record-breaking 2010 numbers, which saw more than 10,000 entries. Entries are already more than double the 2010 total from engineering students in the UK and Ireland, where 26 universities provide Knovel as a reference resource for their science and engineering students.
To-date, more than 4,100 students at 500 colleges and universities from 73 countries have successfully completed 8,400 entries.
The Challenge sets real world engineering problems and has become popular among engineering students and faculty for introducing future engineers to top level library resources as they learn how to research, solve problems and prepare to enter a competitive workforce. In addition to 300 leading universities using Knovel, it is widely used in industry by 400 major engineering employers, such as BP and Bechtel, so the Challenge introduces students to a resource relevant to their future careers.
The Challenge has now become a required part of the induction programme for engineering students at University College London, University of Alberta and the University of Arkansas.
UCL Subject Librarian, Lynne Meehan said, “The Challenge may not be directly related to each student’s engineering discipline, but it is great for demonstrating and making use of all the powerful data and analysis tools available in Knovel”.
Each year, the Knovel University Challenge presents a series of questions on engineering-related topics, and students can use Knovel to research and find the answers. Eligible entries are based upon correctly answering a minimum of three questions out of twelve. New this year, students could select which level of difficulty to play, and they had the option of playing at more than one level. In addition to the website, the Challenge was also available via a facebook application to encourage students to compete and share results with friends.
The deadline for entries is Midnight on 1 December 2011. Eligible entries get a chance to win an iPad, iPod Nanos, cash and other prizes. The full rules and entry details are available here.