Written by Winning students from the DESIGNNOW 2024 competition at Gazi University in Türkiye recognised how teamwork, collaboration and problem-solving contributed to their success.
Sıla Arslan observed: “We collaborated with my teammates on every part of our design, both in terms of ideas and drawing. When everyone contributed and combined their work, our design came together beautifully and quickly.”
Meryem Ebrar Karaaslan said: “Together with my teammates, we worked in harmony, combining imagination, design skills, and interpretative abilities. Through this, we gained valuable skills such as considering different perspectives and problem-solving.”
Meryem also recognised the importance of the digital design skills developed over the two days: “Learning the Autodesk Fusion program was very enjoyable. Its user-friendly interface made it easy to understand. It’s an application I plan to use frequently in my future academic life, especially for design-based projects.”
Fifty students participated in the two-day design competition from departments including Industrial Design Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Woodworking Engineering, Automotive Engineering, and Industrial Design. The event came together as a collaboration between the Design Engineering Society and the Design Manufacturing and Technology Society, and supported by Autodesk.
The student societies were key to the organisation of the events. They promoted the competition to students, secured involvement of university professors as judges, and distributed awards to students.
Nisa Nur Atasoy from the student community said:
“The event attracted both students who were familiar with 3D design and those who had no prior experience. It also showed how effective teamwork and task distribution can be in achieving great results. For students, the competition provided an opportunity to develop teamwork skills, 3D design abilities, and gain confidence in their ability to create. From the perspective of our university, the benefit lies in gaining experience with a globally recognised program and providing students and the university with valuable resources and opportunities. The competition demonstrated that innovation doesn’t always require creating something entirely new from scratch—existing designs can also be reimagined in unique and creative ways.”
In our latest report, Making for Tomorrow: Skilling Across the Ages, we explore the importance of investing in digital skills across the Middle East and Africa. We highlight the roles schools, universities and businesses play in building a new workforce to work in sectors shaped by advanced technologies. We showcase how student competitions can play a pivotal role in developing skills and inspiring the next generation of designers and makers. To download or read the report visit: https://knowledgepoint.com/autodesk/making-for-tomorrow-skilling-across-the-ages/