“We want to offer the opportunity to our young members to work in groups and to address the contemporary challenges of sustainable development”, Young Engineers Challenge // Charlotte Salaun and Lee Harper

JEC Composites: Can you explain the genesis of this new competition?

We wanted to create a fun, engaging competition for our young SAMPE members, giving them the opportunity to work in groups to solve a real sustainability problem faced by industry. The aim is to bring together leading young engineers from each of the European SAMPE Chapters to compete against each other, in an event that will encourage networking and support future materials and process developments within Europe.

JEC Composites: Why did you decide to launch it in 2025? Is it a one-shot or do you plan to run it on the long term?

Reaching net-zero emissions and delivering sustainable economies is a global priority, so there is no time like the present to start thinking about reducing our environmental impact. We all need to do our bit and this event will hopefully inspire young composite engineers to get involved. This is the first edition of the competition and it is something we intend to refine over the next few years to become an annual feature on the SAMPE Europe calendar.

JEC Composites: The participation rules are original, particularly the mentorship part, can you give us the rationale behind it?

One of the primary benefits of being a SAMPE member is the opportunity to network. We wanted to show our young engineers the value of being a SAMPE member, giving them access to an established academic or member of industry to help them prepare their entry for the competition, who can provide them with a real-world perspective of the composites sector.

JEC Composites: Are there already other contests of this type in Europe and around the world?

This is a unique competition within SAMPE Europe and one that could be rolled out within other Chapters around the globe. We have a long history of hosting design, build and test competitions, such as the Bridge Build Competition, but we wanted to widen participation by enabling engineers without access to manufacturing facilities to take part. The sustainability of composites is very topical at the moment and therefore we thought this would be an excellent theme for our first Young Engineers Challenge.

JEC Composites: To what extent do you think it will help sustainable innovation in the industry?

We have some very talented and creative members within SAMPE, who are working at the cutting edge of materials and process development. I hope that entering this challenge and working with our experienced mentors will inspire our young members to continue their careers within the sector, potentially leading to new sustainable innovations in the near future.

JEC Composites: What would be your advice and tips for participants?

There are many different ways of approaching this challenge. Entrants could select an existing component and seek to reduce wastage, embodied energy or think about facilitating a more circular economy, such as improving disassembly or fibre recovery. Alternatively, they could consider lightweighting the component to reduce energy during the use phase or reduce maintenance and extend service life by improving durability. I think the key to success is to be original and creative, clearly conveying the scientific or engineering concept as clearly as possible. But most of all, it is important to enjoy the experience and have fun!!!

Apply to SAMPE Europe Young Engineer’s Challenge: https://www.sampe-europe.org/about/students/young-engineers-challenge/

Cover photo: Lee Harper (on the left – copyright Alex Wilkinson Media) and Charlotte Salaun (on the right – SAMPE 3M)