MUN Student Design Hub

The Student Design Hub (SDH) is home to students participating in innovative engineering and business design competitions and subsequently moving on to start or support new business ventures. It provides a pipeline of students participating in technical programming to work through a product development cycle and is a systemic support for any student (undergraduate or graduate) pursuing a hardware-based start-up or social enterprise.  The SDH is an open and inclusive environment that encourages a culture of innovation, rapid ideation and big thinking within the University. Its mission is to foster creative builders across multiple faculties, allowing students to build the confidence and technical skill sets needed to pursue big ideas. Students participating in SDH programming are given access to inspiration, guidance, equipment and connections to help them bring projects to life, which in turn will lead to highly qualified professionals, wealth creation, jobs, and novel developments in the technology sector of Newfoundland and Labrador.  SDH activities are centralized in the S. J. Carew Engineering Building and leverage allocated and program-tailored spaces.

John Walsh

Eastern Edge Robotics

Eastern Edge Robotics is a multidisciplinary team made up of undergraduate students from a variety of programs. Eastern Edge designs and constructs an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to compete in the yearly MATE ROV World Championship. MATE challenges students to create innovative solutions to real-world problems, such as mitigating the effects of climate change and ocean observation and preservation.  For the 2024 competition in particular, Eastern Edge will be designing an ROV with the capabilities to recover a float, lay cables, connect multiple pieces of ocean technology, aid in the restoration of coral, create 3D models of objects underwater, and observe fish habitats. The competition will also involve writing technical documentation of the ROV and its tools, a marketing display, and preparing an engineering presentation, all of which will be judged by industry professionals. The MATE ROV World Championship allows students to learn various skills by combining engineering, arts and communication.

Martha Snelgrove, Russell Corbett, Jadzia Penney, Eric Goulding

Force 7 Sailing

Force 7 Sailing is a collaborative design team led by students at Memorial University and Dalhousie University. Our team members have a mutual passion for innovation, sustainability, naval architecture, and sailing. The team originated in 2023 to design and build a sustainable and efficient foiling moth from scratch for Italy's International Foiling SuMoth challenge.  In June 2025, Force 7 Sailing will compete in the International Foiling SuMoth Challenge - a student design competition to promote sustainable practices by challenging university students to design, build, and race a sustainably built boat. The competition aims to establish a community framework for aspiring professionals, allowing them to innovate new concepts before entering the industry.  As the Foiling SuMoth challenge prioritizes sustainable boat design and community collaboration, it aligns perfectly with our team’s commitment to delivering hands-on education, fostering an inclusive team dynamic, and implementing sustainable practices, all in line with the United Nations Global Goals for Quality Education, Gender Equality, and Climate Action. This alignment enables us to develop an innovative design that achieves both sustainability and efficiency goals.

Paul Beaudoin, Breanna Butler

IcebergASV

Iceberg Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV) is a student-led design team representing Memorial University of Newfoundland and Marine Institute. The team comprises 20 undergraduate students across engineering, robotics, and computer science programs. Each year, the team designs an autonomous surface vehicle, or self-driving boat, to compete at two international competitions against various post-secondary institutions worldwide. Iceberg ASV competes annually at the International RoboBoat Competition and will compete at the Njord Challenge in Trondheim, Norway, for the first time in August 2024. Iceberg ASV takes pride in interdisciplinary collaboration, technical skill development, and strong community culture. 

Madison Button, Grace Pearcy, Micheal McCarthy, Makenzie Collins