It’s common to talk about the dismal state of undergraduate education these days, with so many students spending lots of time and serious money, while majoring in vague subjects with little discernible rigor or demands.
Then there’s the annual Texas Instruments Innovation Challenge event– an impressive counter to that view of undergraduate activities. This contest is a year-long process, where teams of engineering-college students conceive of, design and build sophisticated projects. What’s interesting is the project ideas themselves, plus the student reports on the design they did, the problems they encountered and where they fell short (some projects do not reach completion but are still eligible for entry). Some of the projects appear “frivolous” but still technically advanced while others address more-serious issues, such as an advanced prosthetic arm.