Reality Redesigned International Design Competition Offers Students $40,000 in Prizes

Dec. 13, 2011 - PRLog -- DEARBORN, Mich.,— Building on the success of its new HD series, “The Edge Factor,” producers and industry sponsors including the SME Education Foundation, are introducing “Reality Redesigned,” a design contest with a reality show twist offering students access to an international design competition. Up to $40,000 in prizes will be presented “live” at the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Rapid Conference, in Atlanta, Ga., May 22-25, 2012.

“While young people are technologically very conversant, they have become increasingly less likely to pursue technology-based careers in manufacturing,” says Bart Aslin, “We believe we can reach them with The Edge Factor series and this exciting Reality Redesigned competition to make them more aware of its incredible career opportunities.”

The design competition will be based on the first season of The Edge Factor which closely follows the relationship between the mountain biking and manufacturing industry and their having teamed up with PinkBike, a giant in the MTB world (www.pinkbike.com).

The series is going to feature the winning top designs as they go through the spectrum of what it takes to bring a new product to market. The “Mountain Biking,” design contest offers students an opportunity to design a part for a mountain bike and has three categories: Frame, Suspension and Components.

The offer is an amazing opportunity for students and aspiring designers to have their designs and ideas looked at by the top minds in the industry today and being used by top bikers in the world. It promises to be a season filled with key insights into the amazing world of design, engineering and manufacturing.

Contestants will select one category and submit their design idea in that category. Submissions will be taken through a rigorous screening process and eventually analyzed and critiqued by industry experts.

Jeremy Bout, host and producer of The Edge Factor, will take viewers from coast to coast, introducing this season’s judges who include: Josh Coaplen, director Research and Development, Cane Creek Cycling; Dave Mee, support specialist, MTB rider, engineer, Zcorp; JoAnn Mitchell, senior project leader, Sandvik Coromant; Mike Montgomery, Pro MTB rider; Dennis and DJ Paulson, owners, Straitline Precision; Marie Planchard, mechanical engineer, director, World Education, SolidWorks; Jeff Steber, founder, owner, president, Intense Cycles.

The top drawings will be tracked as the judges critique them. The ever-present POV camera will capture the process from beginning to end, allowing the audience a unique opportunity to watch the idea go from drawing board to finished product. The better the idea, the clearer the presentation the more points it will get. The more points entrants get, the better their chances of making the top spot on the leader board.

In March 2012, the top 3 in each of the categories will make up the “Final Nine.” The general public audience will be able to vote on their favorite designs and the submission that stays on the leader board with the most “yes” votes will win a “pimped out” Intense Bike when the vote closes in April 2012.

Reality Redesigned Submissions:  
Students and bike enthusiasts from Canada and the U.S. are invited to submit their designs.  Reality Redesigned will begin accepting registrations on Monday, December 19, 2011. To register, click here. Submission deadline is February 28, 2012.

For information the Reality Redesigned competition, including a Reality Redesigned poster and kit contact Matt Ormel at Edge Factor. Matt is available to answer questions to support instructors and students. You may also like Edge Factor on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.  

Industry Partners:
Industry support for the launch of The Edge Factor series, the Reality Redesigned competition and EDU Factor classroom videos has been provided by The Association of Manufacturing Technology (AMT), Mastercam, Morris South, Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), SME Education Foundation (SME-EF), Sandvik Coromont, and Solidworks.

Media Partners:
The Edge Factor media sponsors include Manufacturing Engineering magazine and Modern Machine Shop.

About SME Education Foundation:
The SME Education Foundation is committed to inspiring, supporting and preparing the next generation of manufacturing engineers and technologists for the advancement of manufacturing education. Created by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) in 1979, the SME Education Foundation has provided more than $31 million since 1980 in grants, scholarships and awards through its partnerships with corporations, organizations, foundations, and individual donors. Visit the SME Education Foundation at www.smeef.org. Also visit www.CareerMe.org for information on advanced manufacturing careers and our award-winning website for young people, www.manufacturingiscool.com

Media Contact:
Bart A. Aslin, chief executive officer, SME Education Foundation, (313) 425-3300, baslin@sme.org; Jeremy Bout, producer, The Edge Factor, (905) 563-9547, jeremy@underhousestudio.com.

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The nation’s leading non-profit organization dedicated to advancing manufacturing education through awards, scholarships and technology-based youth programs.