It’s yellow, small, inexpensive and it can get in where no other can. This is the brief but succinct description of a mini submarine developed by four students who study IT engineering, mechanical engineering and global business engineering at VIA University College.
Lillan Lykke Spiertz and Jesper Hald are two of the four students. They study IT engineering and mechanical engineering respectively at VIA University College in Horsens. For their fourth semester project, they have developed a mini submarine, which can be used for surveillance under the surface of the sea.
“We had an idea for a submarine from the very beginning, but we didn’t know how to get started. So we visited Maersk Oil and Gas, and here we got the idea to develop a mini-submarine. We discovered the niche of mini-subs that are less expensive and easier to control than other subs for these kinds of tasks,” says Jesper Hald.
Determined interdisciplinarity
It takes many hours in front of the computer to develop a mini submarine, and it takes a lot of co-operation and planning.
“The four of us had different approaches as to how the task should be solved, and different opinions about what was most important. This has caused friction in the group. But a part of the process is planning who does what and when,” says Lillan Lykke Spiertz.
Jesper Hald agrees that planning is an important part of project work.
“The fact that we work across educational boundaries enables us not only to get an insight into other professional areas, but it also gives us a better understanding of how important it is to coordinate our work. This way our education becomes real and that appeals to me.”
Opportinities for specialisation
The engineering programmes at VIA University College consist of four profiles, each giving students an opportunity to specialise. Each programme has two profiles, and each share a profile. For instance, the IT engineer programme and the mechanical engineer programme share the profile Intelligent mechanics and systems. Here students from the two programmes work together to develop intelligent products and systems, and to integrate systems and mechanics. This is precisely what appeals to Lillan Lykke Spiertz.
“IT is an interesting subject but I am also fascinated by the physical construction of machines. That’s why I have chosen subjects from the mechanical engineering programme, and it has been very educational. The idea behind the profiles and interdisciplinarity is one of the reasons why I chose this particular programme.”
Facts
The three engineering programmes, IT engineering, mechanical engineering and global business engineering, are based on four profiles:
Intelligent mechanics and systems, Innovation and product design, Information technology and production management, and Global business development.
Each programme shares a profile with another. IT engineering and mechanical engineering share the profile Intelligent Mechanics and Systems.
This profile provides the student with an opportunity to work with developing intelligent products and systems and with integrating systems and mechanics.
The profile can be achieved by taking the IT engineering programme or the mechanical engineering programme. Both are three-and-a-half-year programmes and are available at VIA University College in Horsens.
Caption: Lillan and Jesper, who have chosen different engineering programmes, have developed a mini submarine together. (Photo: VIA University College)
