Competition Travel and Logistics

All Engineering Design Team projects must include a pre-determined endpoint or validation activity, identified and approved during Stage 1 of the Engineering Design Team Project Lifecycle process. The validation activity is used to assess whether the project has met its intended objectives and achieved the desired outcomes. Examples of validation endpoints include participation in a competition, presentation at an academic conference, a final testing phase, or another approved method of evaluation. All projects are expected to provide at least two pieces of supporting evidence of completion after this final stage (i.e., official results/reports, videos, etc.)

To qualify as an Approved Event, it must:
•    Have specific educational, technical, or professional development values consistent with APSC PD’s mandate
•    Comply with all UBC travel, safety, and insurance requirements.
•    Have faculty approval prior to participation
•    Have adequate funding 

External Validation and Evaluation (Event-Based)

An externally validated design project is one in which the success of the project is assessed against criteria, standards, or expectations established by an independent external body. These external evaluators may include competition judges, conference reviewers, academic or professional panels, or other formally recognized organizations.

Validation occurs through structured external processes such as competitions, peer-reviewed conference submissions, or formal evaluations, where the project deliverable is assessed for technical merit, innovation, and overall performance. These deliverables typically represent the team’s public-facing work and are judged using standardized or discipline-recognized criteria.

To qualify as an Approved Event, it must:

• Be formally geared towards post-secondary student groups, academia, or the professional STEM industry

• Have criteria, standards, or expectations established by an independent external body

• Apply discretionary criteria in its qualification or application process (i.e. events operating on a first-come, first-served basis are not eligible)

Internal Validation and Evaluation (Team-Defined)

An internally validated design project is one in which the team defines its own success criteria and evaluates the project without formal external judging. The team establishes performance metrics, testing protocols, and evaluation methods aligned with the project’s goals. These deliverables represent the culmination of the project cycle and demonstrate technical progress and completeness in the absence of external evaluation.

To qualify as an Approved Internal Validation Deliverable, the project must:
•    Define a clear primary validation goal with a measurable success metric
•    Include a target outcome and method for measuring performance
•    Establish a rubric with 3–5 criteria aligned with project objectives
•    Include at least one criterion that evaluates validation or testing of the deliverable
Additionally, the evaluation plan must:
•    Identify when evaluation will take place
•    Specify who will analyze results and complete final validation
•    Include clear descriptions of what is being validated and how success will be measured

• ALL students planning trips (outside of Canada) for UBC-connected purposes must
  • Complete the Student Safety Abroad Registry and follow UBC’s Student Safety Abroad Policy guidelines
    • Please use the “group study” category when completing the application
    • Minoli and team will be auditing completion of these going forward
  • ALL students must register their travel in the UBC Travel Registry - Registering helps UBC share timely updates and offer support in the event of an emergency.
  • Download the International SOS “Assistance” app - The app gives you 24/7 access to emergency help, safety alerts, and destination info while you’re away. 
     
• Other information to review and consider before leaving:
  • Emergency Assistance: International SOS - Guidance for when to contact International SOS (ISOS), a firm under contract to UBC to provide health and security assistance to UBC students, faculty and staff. Visit the site
  • Privacy Matters @ UBC: Travelling with Electronics - Information on how to safeguard your personal and institutional data when travelling with digital devices. Read more
• In addition, APSC recommends you have the following easily accessible when travelling for EDT Activities:

1. Proof of competition attendance – eg. documentation showing that you have been accepted to competition
2. Proof that you are UBC students – you could have all students download their “confirmation of enrolment letter” on Workday that shows they are a student
3. Confirmation that all students are registered with Go Global travel registry
4. Confirmation that all students have taken the completed the training that goes with the registry
5. Emergency phone numbers on hand – eg. International SOS that UBC recommends

Student teams are often required to carry Liability Insurance in order to compete/participate in events or test their projects in certain facilities. UBC may provide student teams with Liability Insurance. To request a certificate of insurance for your team, plan in advance a minimum of 12 weeks lead time. Contact Sara Buse and Minoli with information including: a copy of the applications to participate, the group requesting the certificate of insurance, any specific terms that are required, and the dates for the event, and any waivers that have been signed or agreed to.

All students are expected to have MSP/iMED and AMS/GSS extended health coverage and travel insurance. Travel insurance usually refers to things like flight cancellation, medical insurance while in another country. If you have any questions about travel insurance please reach out to the UBC Safety Abroad team, their contact information should be in the Registry you are working on.

• If you're transporting your prototype internationally, you may be required to have an ATA Carnet. This document allows your to temporarily export and import your prototype to and from some foreign countries without paying duties, taxes, or import bonds. Please visit the Canadian Chamber of Commerce website for details and application procedures. 
• Check in with Richard regarding the materials you will be transporting across the border to ensure you are transporting things in the safest way possible. 
• APSC PD recommends that you use ECE stores for your shipping, so that if anything happens, UBC can follow-up more easily.