Can-do approach to engineering

Fourth-year Monash engineering students have mentored student teams from primary and high schools across Melbourne as part of a design competition to create sculptures out of cans of food.

The "Canstruction" project requires the student teams to design, model and construct large 3-D sculptures made from full cans of food, without modifying the labels or using adhesives.

This is the second year that the event has been run in Melbourne, with 28 groups of between six and 10 students participating.

Each group worked with an engineering student to design and construct sculptures that represented the theme: My Home, Australia.

The can sculptures, which included "Sam" the koala, a blow fly, a fire truck, replicas of the HMS Endeavour, a meat pie and a toilet were on display for an afternoon before being dismantled, packed and sent to The Salvation Army for distribution to needy families across Melbourne.

The Australia with Vegemite jar won Best Use of Labels, "Sam" the Koala won Structural Ingenuity, and the Holden logo won Structure that Best Captured the Theme.

Project coordinator Robyne Bowering said the event provided a wide range of learning experiences for all parties.

"The elective aims to provide Monash students with the opportunity of developing their leadership, organisation, interpersonal and communication skills," Ms Bowering said.

"The school students, and some of their teachers, were also pushed out of their comfort zones to learn a number of new maths, science, design and publicity principles."

Ms Bowering said organisers would aim to extend the program state-wide next year and Australia-wide the year after.

"What started out as an idea to have school and university students collaborating on a project to benefit communities in need has evolved to quite an extraordinary display of design excellence and creativity," Ms Bowering said.

More than 45,000 cans of food were donated to the Salvation Army Food Bank as a result of this year’s competition.