University of Iowa undergraduate engineering and business students blended expertise to win first place at an international conference focused on the intersection of engineering and business last month.

The team of Rawad Al Souki (electrical and computer engineering), Torin Brown (industrial and systems engineering, economics), Tyree Gardner (finance), and Andrew Polgreen (industrial and systems engineering) climbed from last place on the first day to first place by the end of ENGCOMM held in Montreal, Canada.

“This speaks volumes about their coachability and their resilience,” said Jenny Long, who coached the team with Samantha Gray, both of Iowa's Tippie College of Business.

The team won in the best overall category as well as best engineering solution at the event.

They “truly represented the Hawkeye spirit of work ethic,” Gray said. “We are so incredibly proud.”

At ENGCOMM, teams – this year from the United States, Canada, and the Middle East – attempt to solve engineering and commerce-based cases. Topics ranged from energy to aerospace.

“One of my biggest takeaways from this competition was the importance of systems-level thinking,” team member Brown said. “This experience challenged me to think about how all parts interact, from technical engineering details and financial projections to strategic business alignment and ethical considerations."

The teams tackle new cases each day, getting “locked” in a room for as many as 12 hours to develop a solution based on engineering recommendations integrated with business execution. Then, they present to a panel of judges including faculty of Concordia University, employees of the company related to the case, and local business and engineering leaders.

“This achievement nicely illustrates how interdisciplinary collaboration can prepare students to tackle real-world engineering and business challenges,” said Yong Chen, departmental executive officer and professor of industrial and systems and engineering.